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Significant Fee Leap Proposed For Private River Trips Through Grand Canyon National Park

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Compiled from NPS releases

Published Date

December 31, 2024
A non-commercial river trip readies for a launch at Lees Ferry, River Mile 0 NPS Photo/J. Baird

A non-commercial river trip readies for a launch at Lees Ferry, River Mile 0/NPS, J. Baird

A proposed fee increase for private river trips through Grand Canyon National Park if approved will more than triple the cost to individuals, with the revenues targeted to help with river restoration and mitigation projects.

The proposal would boost the per-person cost from $90 to $310 for trips between Lees Ferry and Diamond Creek, and from $0 to $55 for the stretch from Diamond Creek to Pearce Ferry. The proposal is open for public comment through January 30.

Park staff say the individual cost has not increased since 1998. While there have been proposals to boost it since then, none have been approved. The fees are spent on river restoration, mitigation projects, the monitoring of river recreation, emergency response on the river, and private boater check-ins. It's calculated that 49 percent of the cost of those services would be provided by private river trips, with 51 percent coming from commercial trips.

"Recreational river use along the river corridor is one of the causes of resource degradation along the Colorado River," an FAQ sheet [attached below] accompanying the proposal said. "These damages can be mitigated but only when the funding is available. The increased charge ensures the funding is available."

The proposed change would begin March 1, 2025. The existing $25 lottery application cost fee would remain the same.

Interested parties can submit feedback online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/GRCA_River_Trip_Cost_Increase through January 30, 2025. Written comments may also be sent to the following address by January 30, 2025:

Grand Canyon National Park

Attn: Administrative River Operations Program

PO Box 129

Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

 

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PDF icon 2024.12.11_-_faqs_-_nc_cost_recovery_rate_change.pdf

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