BLM to improve services in King Range National Conservation Area and Redding Field Office recreation sites

ARCATA, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management is implementing new fees for recreation sites in the King Range National Conservation Area on the North Coast, and for the Steiner Flat and Ohl Olsen campgrounds managed by the Redding Field Office, to improve access to public lands, enhance public health and safety, and better protect natural resources.

The new fees at the King Range NCA and Ohl Olsen campground will take effect six months from May 9, and the new fees at the Steiner Flat campground will take effect either six months from May 9, or when all necessary campground upgrades are completed, whichever is later.

“Public lands are welcoming an increasing number of visitors,” said Dereck Wilson, manager of the BLM Northern California District. “These fees will help maintain 85 miles of wilderness trail along the Lost Coast, increase public hours at the King Range Visitor Center, improve campgrounds, and support the BLM’s Blueprint for 21st Century Outdoor Recreation.”

The King Range National Conservation Area will initiate fee collection for the existing Individual Special Recreation Permit for overnight visitation in the King Range Wilderness. The fee will be $12 per person per overnight trip. Permits are issued through Recreation.gov. There would be no fee for children 16 years old and younger, and the BLM will waive the fee for Tribal gathering and ceremonial use.

The BLM Redding Field Office established the following fees:

• A new fee of $15 per-site, per-night at Steiner Flat campground along the Trinity River. This fee will begin when facility upgrades are completed or when the notice has been published for six months, whichever is later.
• A $60 per night fee will be established at the lower Ohl Olsen group campsite that accommodates up to 30 campers in the Chappie Shasta Off Highway Vehicle Recreation Area. An $80 nightly fee will be established for the larger upper site that accommodates up to 50 campers.

Details about the proposed changes, the rationale for them, and financial analysis are available in the business plans for the King Range NCA and Redding Field Office.

Visit King Range National Conservation Area and the Redding Field Office for more information about recreational opportunities.