Want to hike this popular waterfall outside Boise? You may have to pay in the future
Visitors may soon have to pay to access a popular Boise-area hike to a secluded waterfall if the Bureau of Land Management goes through with a proposed day-use fee.
The Bureau’s Owyhee Field Office announced Monday it’s considering a $5 day-use fee or $25 annual pass to access Jump Creek, a 60-foot waterfall tucked into a canyon near Marsing, to address the growing number of visitors. The office is accepting public comments on its business plan through Oct. 2.
According to the agency, recreation at Jump Creek nearly doubled between 2014 and 2020, when the most recent visitor data was collected. The area saw 21,000 visits in 2014 and 40,000 visits by 2020. Experts estimate outdoor recreation has increased even more in the years since 2020, in part thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
BLM officials said funds collected from the fees would go toward site maintenance, which previously has been funded with grants and deferred maintenance dollars. The agency spends $20,000 every year to clean, pump vault toilets, perform maintenance and remove graffiti and trash. Officials said law enforcement at Jump Creek and search-and-rescue efforts cost another $20,000.
If adopted, the fee would be fixed for 10 years.
Public comments can be submitted by email to BLM_ID_OwyheeOffice@blm.gov, by phone to 208-896-5940 or by mail to BLM Owyhee Field Office, 101 S. Bruneau Hwy., Marsing, ID 83639.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 10:00 AM.
