Higher entrance and camping fees will greet visitors to Olympic National Park beginning June.
“Entrance and overnight wilderness use fees will be phased in over several years, based in large part on suggestions from stakeholders and the public,” says Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum.
Entrance Fees...................................................................................2014.......2015.......2016.......2017
Vehicle (7 days; all park entrances................................................$15..........$20..........$25.......no change
Motorcycle (7 days; all park entrances).........................................$5............$10..........$15.......$20
Person (7 days; all park entrances; 16 & older only.......................$5............$7............$10.......no change
Annual Pass................................................................................................$30..........$40...........$50.......no change
“The money from user and entrance fees provides vital funding for visitor facilities like water and wastewater systems, campgrounds, roads, trails and visitor centers,” said Superintendent Creachbaum.
At Olympic in 2014, approximately $2.2 million in fee revenue provided for improved visitor facilities and services, including trail and wilderness bridge repair, new visitor center exhibits and operation of the park’s wilderness information program.
This summer, visitors will find newly improved accessible parking spaces and walkways at the Hoh and Quinault visitor centers, trail repairs in the Hoh and Sol Duc valleys and south coast route and wilderness information for hikers and backpackers.
“We are committed to providing all visitors with the best possible experience, while still providing affordable options to enjoy the park,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum.
Based on comparisons with area facilities and opportunities, the park also proposes increased rates for camping, overnight wilderness use and RV sewage dumping.
Campground fees will go up from $10-$18 charged per night currently to $15-$22 this summer. Those rates will remain the same through 2016 and 2017.
Overnight wilderness use permits will move from a registration fee per group and $2 nightly fee per person to $5 per person per night this year and in 2016, and then move up to $7 per night in 2017. Annual wilderness permit passes will cost $35 per person beginning June 1, remain at that amount in 2016, and increase to $45 in 2017. Each additional individual in a household can buy an annual wilderness pass for $15.
RV dump fees will increase from $5 to $10 beginning June 1, while ranger-led snowshoe hikes will run $7 per adult and $3 for kids age 6-15.
“While we rely on fee revenue to upgrade and improve park facilities and services, there are also a number of ways for people to receive free entry to Olympic National Park,” said the superintendent.
Entrance fees apply only to people 16 years of age and older; youth and children 15 years old and younger enter the park for free. Olympic National Park also hosts nine entrance fee-free days throughout the year. More information about these options, along with the Senior, Access and Military passes that provide free entry are available at http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/fees.
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Comments
Park managers have made the best of a bad situation here. With Congress continuing to slash park budgets, entrance and user fees have to pick up a larger share of park operations. Local conservation groups asked the park to phase in the fee increases, and for the most park managers have done that. It's a shame that wilderness use fees exist at all, but in this budget climate, everyone has to pony up. Ideally, Congress would fully fund our national parks. That should be uppermost on everyone's political agenda.
Slash budgets?
dupe
Dupe?
Yes, the post was a duplicate and I deleted it. Unfortunately you can't delete totally, there has to be some text. Dupe stands for "duplicate".
Yep, slashed. In 2013, for one example, the park budget at Olympic was cut 5% due to the infamous sequester. Given already lean operating dollars, that was significant. Ec seems to think that park's budget hasn't been cut in recent years, so perhaps he could document that fact.
Strange, since the tea partiers specifically want to slash the federal budget. Why they start with the agency that has 1/14th of 1% of the federal budget instead of the biggies, like the pentagon, amazes me.
2013 2.214 billion
2014 2.236 billon
2015 2.283 bil
2016 a request of $3.0 bil
http://www.doi.gov/budget/appropriations/2015/highlights/upload/A001.pdf