'The Wave' Permit System May Be Revamped, Comments Encouraged

BLM is considering revamping the system that allocates permits to people interested in visiting The Wave, which is a world-renowned scenic landscape near the Utah/Arizona border. Under the current system, people sometimes travel for long distances hoping to visit the area but are turned away.

KSL.com has this article about the proposal. Below are excerpts.

Currently, 20 hikers per day can obtain permits for the world-renowned Wave. Ten of the permits are distributed in advance online, while 10 more are distributed each day through a lottery at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Center in Kanab.

Obtaining a permit can be a tricky feat. The odds of winning a permit online ranged from 4 to 25 percent in 2013 depending on the season, and 50 to 150 people show up to apply for a permit in person on any given day, according to the BLM. The warmer months, with the exception of July, are the busiest for the attraction.

“They would come and book a whole vacation to stay in Kanab and every morning go and do this lottery thing, and they’d lose and hopefully find something else to do in the area, but do (the lottery) again the next morning and the next and the next until they got beat up pretty bad,” he (Kane County Office of Tourism director Ken Gotzen-Berg) said. “We’re trying to hook them up with other experiences so even if they lose the lottery, they’ll walk away saying, ‘Wow, what a fantastic place.’

BLM is in early stages of considering a new system and will consider public input at all stages. A formal comment period will be scheduled when definite options have been drafted.

Public Input Sought On Proposed Fee Hike At Natural Bridges

The National Park Service is considering raising the entry fee at Natural Bridges National Monument and is soliciting public comment. KSL.com has this report about the proposal. Here are excerpts.

Under a new proposal, those entering the monument in private vehicles would pay $15, up from $6.

Park officials say the higher fees are part of an effort to standardize fees at parks.

Camping fees would stay at $10 per night.