Fees rise for rental cabins, some campgrounds

The Flathead National Forest recently announced that fees for its rental cabins and some of its campgrounds will be going up.

The fees in some cases will double, but by comparison to other lodging in the valley, they’re a bargain, even with the increase.

All told, the Flathead County Resource Advisory Committee and regional office approved fee changes for 12 rental cabins and two campgrounds.

Most existing rental fees at Flathead National Forest have not been changed for over 15 years, with some dating back to 1999.

User fees for campgrounds and rental cabins are collected under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, with 95% of the fees returned to the Forest for maintenance and improvements. New furniture, painting, windows, roof repairs, bathroom facilities, bear-resistant storage boxes, picnic tables, and roadways are all improvements that the Forest accomplishes through rental fees, the Forest notes.

The fee changes will be reflected immediately on Recreation.gov, however existing reservations will not be modified. The new fees for Lindbergh Lake Campground will not begin until the summer of 2021.

Here is a list of the new fees (old fees in parenthesis):

Hornet Lookout ($20) $40

Challenge Cabin ($30) $50

Ninko Cabin ($30) $50

Ford Cabin ($35) $50

Ben Rover Cabin ($50) $65

Schnaus Cabin ($50) $65

Zip’s Place Cabin ($50) $70

Wurtz Cabin ($65) $75

Mission Lookout ($25) $45

Owl Creek Cabin ($30) $50

Swan Lake Guard Station ($55) $70

Old Condon Ranger Station ($65) $85

Lindbergh Lake Campground (Free) $10 per night, $5 extra vehicle

Spotted Bear campground ($10/$5) $13/$5 extra vehicle