Glacier to consider raising camping fees

Glacier National Park is seeking public comments on a proposal to increase nightly fees and allow some reservations at Many Glacier Campground. The goal is to provide an opportunity for visitors to plan their trip to Many Glacier with knowledge of a secured camp site.

The Park proposes increasing the nightly camping fee from $20 to $23 per camp site and allow for site-specific reservations at half the camp sites through the National Recreation Reservation System.

The Park says the fed increase would offset the reservation service provider's service charge and would be applied to the entire campground. If approved, the changes would go into effect in June 2014.

There are 109 camp sites at the Many Glacier Campground. Currently, the campground is managed as a completely first-come first-served campground. The campground is popular and fills up every day in the summer by mid- to late morning.

Two other Glacier Park campgrounds, St. Mary and Fish Creek, allow reservations with a nightly fee of $23.

Comments can be mailed to Glacier National Park, Attn: Many Glacier Campground Fee Rate Increase, P.O. Box 128, West Glacier MT 59936 on submitted online at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/ManyGlacierCampgroundFees. Deadline is March 6.