charging for parking on forrest service land

Does anyone know if Stevens ski area charging $10 for parking is legal? I was under the impression there was a federal ruling prohibiting fees on USFS land just for parking... I was looking at the mountaineers stevens pass lodge page and thought this curious.

It is my understanding that is an old statement from the days when the mountain was trying to get rid of some of the problem "tenants" that partied a little too hard in the upper parking lot. I am heading down there tomorrow and I will post the correct answer when I get home on Sunday.

Last year when I picked up my pass I asked about the $10 charge since we were thinking of camping overnight occasionally. Nobody at the ticket counter had heard anything about it. I was told after some consultation that overnight camping was not recommended but that if we wanted to we should use the lot across the street and let the attendant know. We never did end up spending the night but when my parents stayed at the mountaineers cabin they were unable to determine who to give the money to so they didn't pay. I think telemon's assessment is probably accurate.

The forest service has been charging people to park for years, mostly trailheads during the summer.

The ski areas have leased the land that they used so the normal rules of 'public land' do not apply. Since Stevens, Snoqualmie, White, Crystal and all the others pay for the snow removal, operation and insurance then they should be able to make the rules.

As far as overnight parking, if it is not snowing to where snowplowing is not needed then many times they won't bother you. The ski areas just want the lots clear when they need to clean out the snow.

Also not an officially informed answer but:

The comment about leasing is I believe correct. Stevens Pass leases some of the land has some extra control over those areas. Stevens Pass also owns some parts of that land around the base area (I would guess) as private holdings.

To those comments I would add that not all the parking in the area is under lease by Stevens Pass, nor is it owned by Stevens Pass. There is a sno-park or two in the area (which require sno-park passes), and parking on the other side of the highway from the ski area seems to be managed a bit differently. There is, I think, an area for those wanting to access the PCT, I'm just not sure where that 'official' area is.