A new fee structure is in place at Denali National Park and Preserve. Out is the old $20 per vehicle entrance fee. In is a $10 per person fee for visitors age 16 and older.

The change, which takes effect today, was made because Denali does not collect the fees at an entrance station to the park as most national parks do. Instead, the fees are paid when you buy a ticket to ride the park bus into the park, or pay for a campground stay. The fee does cover seven days in the park.

The park will continue to honor the Interagency Federal Recreational Passes (aka America the Beautiful Pass) such as the Annual, Senior, and Access Pass, and the Denali Annual Pass. These passes all provide entry for the cardholder and up to three other adults, and they are all sold year-round at Denali National Park.

The Senior and Access Interagency passes are good for a lifetime, and can also be obtained by mail. The Access Pass (for U.S. Citizens with permanent disabilities) is free, and the Senior Pass (for U.S. citizens age 62 or older) is $10. Information on how to obtain these passes by mail is posted at http://store.usgs.gov/pass. There is an additional processing fee for applications done via mail.

The Interagency annual pass is $80 and is available on-line at http://store.usgs.gov/pass. It is valid for one year.

The Denali National Park Annual Pass costs $40 and is valid for one year for entry into the park. It is only available for purchase at the park, i.e. it is not available by mail.

The majority (80 percent) of the fees collected remains in the park, and are used for pre-approved projects that improve visitor services and facilities. The remaining 20 percent is used for similar projects in parks that don’t collect an entrance fee, or for funding agency-wide efforts such as Youth Corps Programs.