Natural Bridges Fees Set to Double; Other Parks Seek Increases

Natural Bridges National Monument plans to more than double entrance fees for vehicles and walk-in visitors next year, making it the latest national park to propose a fee increase for 2015.

Fees for vehicles will go from $6 to $15 while fees for walk-in and bike-in traffic will go from $3 to $7, reportsNational Parks Traveler. A spokesperson for the park said that the new revenue would be used to “improve facilities, infrastructure, and visitor services.”

Natural Bridges is not alone in proposing fee hikes. Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Crater Lake National Park are just three of the most prominent parks seeking public comment on fee increases for 2015. Overall, the National Park Service says that 115 of its 401 national park & monument units are hoping to raise prices next year.

Under the proposal, Grand Canyon National Park’s single vehicle entrance fee for a seven-day pass would increase from $25 to $30. Yosemite’s annual pass would change from $40 to $60 and a seven-day pass would increase from $20 to $30, a hike that park officials say is consistent with the rate of inflation since 1997 (the last year that fares went up).

Rocky Mountain National Park’s annual pass would also rise from $40 to $60. A park spokesperson toldThe Denver Post that 90 percent of visitors surveyed supported legislation that would allow an increase in fees.

The price of an annual pass, good at any park or monument across the country, would remain at $80.

Public comment periods for many of the proposed park increases are still open and accepting feedback through mid-December.

Read more: National Parks Traveler | Denver Post | NPS