National Park Service Proposes to Raise Entrance Fees Across the Country
Posted: 12/02/2014
By: Thomas O'Keefe
With few exceptions, fees across the national parks have not changed since 2006. Currently several National Parks across the country are considering increased fees for park entry and wilderness permits. A number of National Parks provide whitewater paddling and we want to make sure our community is aware of the opportunity to provide comment on these proposals.
We agree that the Parks need more money to be managed sustainably and continue to offer high
quality recreational opportunities. That money can come from fees or Congress. If the National
Park Service were adequately funded, the imposition of higher entrance fees might be unnecessary.
For that reason, we urge Congress to restore recent cuts to National Park Service funding. This
is a smart investment in America’s $646 billion recreation industry, which supports 6.5
million jobs nationwide.
In our conversations with National Park Service leadership we have emphasized that if fees are
increased, the public has expectations for a higher level of service. Currently we see situations
where gates are closed during the peak paddling season or river access sites are not properly
maintained. If fees are increased, it should come with improvements to public access.
For most National Parks, 80% of entrance fees are retained within the Park unit where they are
collected. They are used for projects like trail and bridge repair, exhibits at visitor centers,
operation of the wilderness information program, and other projects that benefit user
experiences. The remaining 20% of fees are redistributed to other Parks that do not collect
entrance fees. Director Jon Jarvis has said that the fee increase "will allow us to invest
in the improvements necessary to provide the best possible park experience to our
visitors."
We encourage our members to evaluate these fee proposals and comment. You can also contact your
member of Congress to highlight the importance of funding the National Park Service. We also
encourage our members to comment on what improvements would enhance visitor experience for the
activities you enjoy.
Since proposals for fee increases vary by Park, you must review the proposal for the Parks that
most interest you and comment individually. To provide comment, go to the interactive map of
Projects Open for Public Comment on the National Park
Service Park Planning website. Click on the Park Unit of interest to you. You will notice that
several Park Units have an open comment period for "National Park Proposes Entrance Fee
Increases". Clicking the icon for a Park and selecting the entrance fee proposal link will
take you to the comment page.
Thomas O'Keefe
3537 NE 87th St.
Seattle, WA 98115
E-mail: okeefe@americanwhitewater.org
Phone: 425-417-9012
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