Those who enjoy visiting popular Dowdy Lake and West Lake northwest of Fort Collins will both see an increase and extension of theur day use fee.
Starting Sept. 23, the Dowdy Lake picnic and boating site and West Lake picnic site in the Red Feather Lakes area will each require a $10 day use vehicle fee year-round, according to a news release from the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.
In years past, the day use fee was $9 until the campgrounds and facilities were closed at those sites for winter, at which time there was no fee to visit the sites. The Dowdy Lake and West Lake picnic sites were scheduled to have the water shut off Sept. 30 for the winter.
With the new fee structure, the facilities will stay open year-round and their toilets will be cleaned, trash removed and roads and parking lots plowed, according to the news release. Vista Recreation is the new concessionaire for the sites.
Winter site hosts will provide improved maintenance schedules and service with consistency from year to year.