National Parks May Raise Entrance And Camping Fees, Public Input Will Be Sought

Fees may increase at Lake Powell (Photo © Dave Webb)

A National Park Service memo says fees may be increased at 131 properties across the nation, including Utah's five national parks and several of our national monuments. Lake Powell/Glen Canyon National Recreation Area may also raise rates.

The Deseret News has this article about the memo, which suggests public comments will be considered before any decisions are made. Below are excerpts from the article.

A late summer memo by the agency's director Jon Jarvis instructed his regional managers to begin readying for public outreach with congressional delegations, gateway community leaders and park service visitors to determine, what — if any increase in fees — may be palatable.

"Parks must thoroughly engage their stakeholders and document the support and concerns expressed by the public," the memo states.

The proposed fee increases — which could bump from $15 to $25 per carload and jump to $20 for overnight camping — would be the first since the rate schedule was updated in 2006 and became effective two years later.

Park superintendents at Zion, Arches, Bryce, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands national parks, impacted national monuments, and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area will begin soliciting input in the coming months in advance of a March 2 deadline to determine what rates may go up. In Utah, beyond the national parks that could be impacted, fees could jump at Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments, the Golden Spike National Historic Site and Glen Canyon.

The article has one sentence that confuses me:

The state's five national parks, a handful of its national monuments and its lone national recreation area could see fee increases by next spring under a proposal by the National Park Service.

It appears the writer is not including Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. I don't know if that means “The Gorge” is safe from any rate increase, or if it was simply overlooked in the news article.

-- Dave Webb