Malheur National Forest moves to a cashless fee collection
By Mindy McKerrall on Monday, May 18th, 2026 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories
HINES, JOHN DAY AND PRAIRIE CITY(Released from the Malheur National Forest Service)-The Malheur National Forest will offer a cashless fee payment option beginning May 15, 2026. Sites using this new payment system will utilize the Recreation.gov app to accept digital payments, and this will include the following developed campgrounds with the scan and pay option:
Blue Mountain Ranger District
- Dixie
- Magone Recreation Area
- Starr
Emigrant Creek Ranger District
- Delintment Lake
- Idlewild
- Joaquin Miller Horse Camp
- TipTop
Prairie City Ranger District
- Big Creek
- Strawberry
Once the Recreation.gov app is installed and an account is set up, the scan and pay application will work offline at recreation sites without service.
Fee tubes will remain available for payment at the campgrounds. Cash or check are acceptable forms of payment. Instructions for all forms of payment will be posted at the fee collection stations.
Moving to a cashless system will greatly reduce the amount of time forest staff spend collecting and processing cash and checks. This will increase their availability to help visitors and manage recreation sites. Cashless options offer convenience to both recreation staff and visitors.
Recreation fees are a critical source of revenue used to improve the experience for national forests visitors. Recreation revenues support the maintenance and provide funding for improvements and project work.
For more information on Malheur National Forest recreation, please visit the forest webpage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/malheur/recreation
