Interior Department Wants to Hike National Park Entrance Fees

The U.S. Department of Interior has proposed a drastic increase of visitor fees for some of the nation's most popular national parks. According to a fact sheet released for public comment on October 24, 2017, the higher fees are necessary to generate revenue for infrastructure improvements.

Madison Park broke the news of the proposed fee increases, which would raise the entrance fee for a private vehicle $70 during peak season. The price is currently between $25 and $30. "The cost of the annual pass, which permits entrance into all federal lands and parks, would remain at $80," according to Park.

Park also lists the 17 parks targeted for fee increases:  

• Arches
• Bryce Canyon
• Canyonlands
• Denali
• Glacier
• Grand Canyon
• Grand Teton
• Olympic
• Sequoia & Kings Canyon
• Yellowstone
• Yosemite
• Zion
• Acadia
• Mount Rainier
• Rocky Mountain
• Shenandoah
• Joshua Tree

For coverage of the fee increases tailored to some of those specific parks, see an article by Hugo Martin that considers the impact on Yosemite National Park. Another article by Benjamin Freed considers Shenandoah National Park.