Camping fees are increasing on the Blue Ridge Parkway/NPS file
The National Park Service is increasing fees for camping and other associated fees on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia. Rate changes include frontcountry and backcountry camping site fees, as well as non-camper user fees for shower and dump station services.
The Parkway’s eight frontcountry campgrounds are typically open from May through late October, and reservations for all campgrounds can be made now for the 2024 visitor season at recreation.gov. New frontcountry fees will take effect for reservations made on or after May 24, 2024, to coincide with opening weekend of Parkway campgrounds. Backcountry camping permits are required, and implementation of new backcountry fees is expected later this summer.
The Parkway is a popular camping destination for park visitors and neighbors, and recreation fees provide a vital source of revenue for needed facility maintenance, future campground improvement projects, and increased costs associated with campground operations. Public engagement was an important part of this fee increase decision, and the last major fee rate change on the Parkway occurred in 2016.
