When the White Mountain National Forest implemented the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program back in 1996 I wasn't too thrilled.

Forking out additional cash for a trailhead parking sticker on top of the tax dollars I pay to the feds every year didn't seem to make sense. But I did, albeit grudgingly at first.

And now, nine years later, I've gotten used to the idea. And so have you I suspect. It's no biggie anymore.

But when I heard rumors recently that some changes were afoot to the parking program this year, I got curious. I found info on changes in the New Hampshire portion of the WMNF, but nothing specific about the Maine side.

So I talked with Tom Moore, the Recreation Enhancement Act Program Manager at the White Mountain National Forest office in Gorham, NH, who gave me the scoop on Maine.

Here's what I learned:

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act has replaced the old Recreation Fee Demo Program. The REA gives the US Forest Service a 10-year authority to collect fees, so it's a little more "permanent" (and therefore stable) if you will. It also simplifies the fee program and more clearly defines how fees are collected and distributed.

Bottom line for WMNF users here in Maine: No changes to the parking fees. All trailhead parking along the Route 113 corridor will remain fee sites, as well as Crocker Pond and Deer Hill.

Interestingly, Moore told me that the WMNF collects $650,000 annually in parking fees and some $4.8 million over the last 8 years. And an amazing 95% of these fees have been pumped right back into the WMNF for such essentials as facility improvements, visitor services, seasonal staff, wilderness patrols, Leave No Trace programs, amphitheater programs, and interpretive work.

So the lion's share of the fee money stays local to help fund local needs. Good job!

That's not a bad deal at all for my $20 (and yours!).

Imagine that... A user fee I can actually live with! Has hell frozen over?

Don't have your White Mountain Parking Pass? Here's the price list and vendor list. You can also pick one up at any WMNF office.