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Parking fees proposed for upper Rogue sites Visitors to the Rogue Gorge and other upper Rogue sites would have to pay $5 to park under new fees and fee hikes proposed in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. [Mail Tribune file photo] Wednesday Jan 24, 2018 at 12:21 PM Jan 24, 2018 at 2:46 PM Mark Freeman Mail Tribune @MTwriterFreeman Visitors to the Union Creek, Natural Bridge and Rogue River Gorge interpretive sites along the upper Rogue may be charged $5 to park beginning this summer under a sweeping series of new fees and fee hikes proposed by the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Rentals of High Cascades cabins will as much as quadruple, and several day-use areas along the Illinois River also will come with $5 daily parking fees under what the Forest Service has billed as the first widespread fee change here in close to a decade. In many cases, the day-use fees at places such as the Rogue Gorge and Natural Bridge would be waived for those who buy a yearly $30 Forest Service recreation pass or an $80 multi-agency pass, according to the Forest Service. Those upper Rogue day-use sites, which have been free to access, are popular stopovers for those traveling Highway 62 in northern Jackson County near Beckie's Cafe and Union Creek Resort. Other day-use areas proposed for first-ever fees include Foster Bar, Quosatana Bar and Lobster Bar access points along the lower Rogue near Agness, and the Oak Flat Campground and Bar along the Illinois River. In all, the proposal would increase fees at four existing group campgrounds, convert five small campgrounds into single-group camping facilities, add new fees to six campgrounds and raise overnight costs at 16 others, and raise rental costs for 10 campgrounds and wildfire lookouts. Also, the Forest Service has proposed adding costs for each extra vehicle at campsites, with the rate equal to half the cost of the campsite. To view all the proposed fees, see http://bit.ly/2E4cgcm. The proposed increases would be only for recreation sites operated by the Forest Service and do not include campgrounds such as Union Creek and Farewell Bend, which are operated by a for-profit concessionaire. The new fee schedule, which is up for public comment, was drafted after reviewing the cost of visiting similar sites throughout southwest and south-central Oregon, according to the Forest Service. Forest officials maintain that the increases would align its fees with others throughout the region. Multiple Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest officials did not immediately return telephone calls this morning seeking comment. Under federal law, 95 percent of recreation fees go toward operating, maintaining and improving pay-to-visit sites. Forest officials will take written comments on the proposed fees though Feb. 16. The proposed fees and comments will be presented in the spring to the Rogue-Umpqua Resource Advisory Committee in Roseburg and the Siskiyou Resource Advisory Committee in Brookings. Meeting times, dates and locations have yet to be set, according to a Forest Service announcement. Final recommendations will go to Jim Pena, the agency's Pacific Northwest regional forester, and any approved changes would go into effect for the summer recreation season, which typically starts each Memorial Day weekend. Email written comments to [email protected]. — Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman.