Interior Department Wants to Hike National Park Entrance Fees

Two years after increasing entrance fees at national parks, The U.S. Department of the Interior wants to raise daily vehicle entrance fees at the nation's most popular parks to $70.

1 minute read

October 25, 2017, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

Michael Gordon / Shutterstock

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.

Read the full story: You may have to pay $70 to visit the Grand Canyon and 16 other national parks

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 in CNN

Environment Land Use United States National Parks National Park System U.S. Department of Interior Fees Infrastructure Funding User Fees View More

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