The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing a hefty increase to entrance fees during the peak seasons at 17 national parks—including world-class climbing destinations like Mount Rainier, Grand Teton, Joshua Tree, Acadia, Shenandoah, Zion, Rocky Mountain, and Yosemite.

Acadia National Park | Photo courtesy of Elodie Saracco

According to the NPS, the proposed changes for the peak season (the five months of highest visitation) would be: “$70 per private, non-commercial vehicle, $50 per motorcycle, and $30 per person on bike or foot. A park-specific annual pass for any of the 17 parks would be available for $75.” These are per-visit prices, the length of which is defined by individual parks (usually between 1 and 7 days). The cost of the annual America the Beautiful Pass, which provides entrance to all federal lands, including parks for a one-year period, would remain $80.

Interior Secretary Zinke supports large budget cuts to the National Park Service, despite the fact that NPS has more than $11 billion in maintenance backlogs for park infrastructure. Zinke stated that “Targeted fee increases at some of our most-visited parks will help ensure that they are protected and preserved in perpetuity.”

But increasing entrance fees by up to 350% means that many Americans could no longer afford to visit their national parks. Furthermore, the proposed entrance fee hikes are only estimated to generate an additional $70 million dollars per year, which isn't nearly enough to make a significant dent in the national park system’s growing maintenance backlog.

Instead of burdening national park visitors with exorbitant fees during peak seasons, Access Fund encourages Congress to legislate appropriate long-term funding for the National Park Service (passing the National Park Service Legacy Act would be a good start) and other land management agencies. Passing the buck to park visitors in such a dramatic way isn’t the answer. National Parks are owned by all of us, and all Americans deserve equal access.