| Contacts: | Mike Blakeman, Public Affairs (719) 852-6212 |
BLM Announces 2012 Campground Fees (02-22-12)
SAGUACHE -The Bureau of Land Management’s San Luis Valley Field Office (SLVFO) has increased fees at Penitente Campground from $5 to $11 at individual sites and $15 to $20 for group sites. The fee increase is effective immediately and is needed to cover the costs of operating and maintaining the campground.
Penitente Campground is currently undergoing a complete renovation, which should be completed this spring. All the campsites received new fire rings, picnic tables and tent pads, two new toilets have been added, a new road provides better access to all the campsites and several interpretive signs have been added.
The SLVFO will also begin collecting fees starting June 1 at Zapata Falls Campground. The fee structure will be the same as at Penitente Campground: $11 at individual sites and $20 for group sites.
Zapata Falls Campground opened last year with 23 single campsites, one group site and one camp host site spaced around two, one-mile-long loops. The sites on the lower loop are designed for tent campers, while the sites on the upper loop are designed for RVs and towed campers. Campers need to bring their own water.
The new campground offers spectacular views of the San Luis Valley, the San Juan Mountains and the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. A new trailhead in the campground supplies a link to the South Zapata Creek Trail and the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. A second trail, just above the campground in the day-use area, leads visitors on a mildly steep half-mile hike to the waterfall that gives the campground its name.
For more information contact the San Luis Valley Field Office at 719-655-2547.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.
1803 West Highway 160 Monte Vista, CO 81144