BLM installs cashless fee collection kiosks at three monument campgrounds

FORT BENTON, Mont. – No Cash? No Problem! Visitors have a new, cashless way to pay camping and recreation fees at three Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument campgrounds.

Coal Banks Landing, Judith Landing, and James Kipp campgrounds now feature electronic fee kiosks that allow visitors to pay any camping or recreation fees using a credit card. The machines can be activated by touching the screen, then users need only to follow the prompts and pay by "tap" on the machine to complete their transaction. After doing so, the machine issues a printed receipt. 

“With digital banking and shopping now so common, people often don’t routinely carry cash,” said Becky Cooper, monument manager. “We’re excited to offer our visitors this option at our developed campgrounds and help make planning a camping trip a little easier.”

The traditional iron ranger fee boxes and envelopes remain available at each location for those who wish to pay with cash, Cooper noted.

James Kipp Recreation Area, which opened on April 1, is situated along the Upper Missouri River where U.S. Highway 191 crosses the river valley in central Montana. There are 34 no-hookup campsites that can accommodate trailers or recreational vehicles (RVs) up to 40 feet in length. Each site has a designated fire ring and picnic table. The campground is equipped with vault toilets, trash dumpsters and an RV waste dump. Non-potable water and the RV dump station will be available mid-May.

Coal Banks Landing Campground, which also opened on April 1, is the starting point for many river trips within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and features 20 campsites. Potable water will be available mid-May. 

Other Bureau of Land Management recreation sites in the monument will likely become available for visitor use by mid-May, based on seasonal road conditions affecting access, including Judith Landing Campground (scheduled to open May 15). 

Campsites at all three campgrounds cost $20 per site/night and are first-come, first-served. 

All boaters should remember that the water is extremely cold and fast-flowing this time of year. For safety’s sake, make sure all boat occupants wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved lifejacket. 

Operators of all types of vessels should know and follow the rules for watercraft in the Breaks, and practice safe and courteous boating, so everyone on the river can enjoy this scenic national treasure. View or download our Boaters' Guide. 

For more information or to get help planning your monumental adventure, call the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center at 406-622-4000, or visit the monument’s webpage.

-BLM-