United States Forest Service announces 2025 ‘fee free’ days for Daniel Boone National Forest

January 14, 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service has announced 2025 fee waiver dates for Daniel Boone National Forest recreation areas. These “fee-free” dates apply to each of the recreation areas listed below.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: January 20

Fees are waived at all Daniel Boone National Forest recreation areas, except concession-operated sites and reservable group-use areas.

Day-use sites – no recreation fee is required on Monday, January 20 at the following locations:

• Cave Run Lake boat ramps
• Laurel River Lake boat ramps
• Bee Rock Boat Ramp – Laurel County
• Clear Creek Boat Ramp – Bath County
• Natural Arch Scenic Area – McCreary County
• Appletree Shooting Range – McCreary County
• Keno Shooting Range – Pulaski County
• Whitman Branch Shooting Range – Whitley County
• Redbird Crest Trail – Clay and Leslie counties

Campgrounds – camping fees are waived for Sunday evening, January 19 at the following locations:

• Backcountry camping in the Red River Gorge – Menifee, Powell and Wolfe counties
• Koomer Ridge Campground – Wolfe County
• Bee Rock Campground – Laurel County
• S-Tree Campground – Jackson County
• White Sulphur Horse Camp – Bath County

President’s Day Weekend: February 15-17

Fees are waived at all Daniel Boone National Forest recreation areas, except concession-operated sites and reservable group-use areas.

Day-use sites – no recreation fee is required on Saturday, February 15; Sunday, February 16; or Monday, February 17 at the following locations:

Campgrounds – camping fees are waived for Friday evening, February 14; Saturday evening, February 15; and Sunday evening, February 16 at the following locations:

• Backcountry camping in the Red River Gorge – Menifee, Powell and Wolfe counties
• Koomer Ridge Campground – Wolfe County
• Claylick Boat-in Campground – Rowan County
• Bee Rock Campground – Laurel County
• S-Tree Campground – Jackson County
• White Sulphur Horse Camp – Bath County

National Fishing and Boating Week: June 7-8

Boat ramp fees will be waived on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 at the following locations:

National Get Outdoors Day: June 14

Fees are waived at all Daniel Boone National Forest recreation areas, except concession-operated sites and reservable group-use areas.

Day-use sites – no recreation fee is required on Saturday, June 14 at the following locations:

• Cave Run Lake – all boat ramps outside of developed campgrounds
• Laurel River Lake – all boat ramps outside of developed campgrounds
• Bee Rock Boat Ramp – Laurel County
• Clear Creek Boat Ramp – Bath County
• Billy Branch Day Use “Picnic” Area – Rowan County
• Natural Arch Scenic Area – McCreary County
• Appletree Shooting Range – McCreary County
• Keno Shooting Range – Pulaski County
• Whitman Branch Shooting Range – Whitley County
• Redbird Crest Trail – Clay and Leslie counties
• White Sulphur OHV Trail – Bath County

Campgrounds – camping fees are waived for Saturday evening, June 14 at the following locations:

• Backcountry camping in the Red River Gorge – Menifee, Powell and Wolfe counties
• Bee Rock Campground – Laurel and Pulaski counties
• S-Tree Campground – Jackson County
• Great Meadows Campground – McCreary County
• Barren Fork Horse Camp – McCreary County

Juneteenth: June 19

Fees are waived at all Daniel Boone National Forest recreation areas, except concession-operated sites and reservable group-use areas.

Day-use sites – no recreation fee is required on Thursday, June 19 at the following locations:

Campgrounds – camping fees are waived for Wednesday evening, June 18 at the following locations:

National Public Lands Day: Saturday, September 27

Fees are waived at all Daniel Boone National Forest recreation areas, except concession-operated sites and reservable group-use areas.

Day-use sites – no recreation fee is required on Saturday, September 27 at the following locations:

Campgrounds – camping fees are waived for Saturday evening, September 27 at the following locations:

Veterans Day: November 11

Fees are waived at all Daniel Boone National Forest recreation areas, except concession-operated sites and reservable group-use areas.

Day-use sites – no recreation fee is required on Tuesday, November 11 at the following locations:

• Cave Run Lake boat ramps
• Laurel River Lake boat ramps
• Bee Rock Boat Ramp – Laurel County
• Clear Creek Boat Ramp – Bath County
• Natural Arch Scenic Area – McCreary County
• Appletree Shooting Range – McCreary County
• Keno Shooting Range – Pulaski County
• Whitman Branch Shooting Range – Whitley County
• Redbird Crest Trail – Clay and Leslie counties
• White Sulphur OHV Trail – Bath County
• Billy Branch Day Use “Picnic” Area – Rowan County

Campgrounds – camping fees are waived for Tuesday evening, November 11 at the following locations:

• Backcountry camping in the Red River Gorge – Menifee, Powell and Wolfe counties
• Bee Rock Campground – Laurel County
• S-Tree Campground – Jackson County
• White Sulphur Horse Camp – Bath County
• Great Meadows Campground – McCreary County
• Barren Fork Horse Camp – McCreary County

Expanding fee-free include expanded, as well as standard, amenity recreation fee sites in the Forest is a temporary waiver of the recreation fees for those sites and has no bearing on the separate statutory requirements for charging those fees.

The statutory requirements for charging standard amenity recreation fees are different from the statutory requirements for charging expanded amenity recreation fees. Therefore, the statutory requirements for charging standard amenity recreation fees do not have to be met to charge expanded amenity recreation fees.

Learn more about the Daniel Boone National Forest at www.fs.usda.gov/dbnf.