Looking for more help planning your next adventure? Lawsuit against Maine State Police troopers can go forward, appeals court says, Stimulus talks set to resume, but Pelosi and McConnell are at odds again, Statewide and town-by-town Maine results for Election 2020, Susan Collins wins 5th Senate term as Sara Gideon concedes, Mills requires face coverings in public as Maine sets another record with 183 new cases, Wins in Wisconsin and Michigan put Biden one state away from the White House, On Election Day, Maine sees record 127 cases of COVID-19. The National Park Service has announced a proposal to more than double the peak-season entrance fees at the country's busiest national parks, including Shenandoah, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. The information contained in this site is provided with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness. All the money from entrance fees remains in the National Park Service, and at least 80 percent stays in the park where it was collected. At least 80 percent of the money stays in the park where it is collected, and the other 20 percent is used to benefit parks that do not collect fees. Here’s why. The parks that would be affected by the peak-season fee increase: NPR's Nathan Rott contributed to this report. var cookieString2 = "MSPAN_Paywall_user=0; domain="+document.location.host+"; path=/; expires=" + date.toGMTString(); for (var i = 0; i < cookies.length; i++) { Questions and answers. Q: Will the cost of annual passes and senior passes increase? Typically 80% of each national park fee is … America's national parks are enormously popular. Fewer than half of the 401 national park sites charge entrance or recreation fees. What keeps you from the parks is the high cost of transportation and lodging.". National Park Service photo. var cookies = document.cookie.split('; '); "People don't always think about the fact that when you show up at these very remote areas, you can still drink water, even take a shower, go for a drive along Skyline Drive," NPS spokesman Jeremy Barnum told NPR. Similarly, since 2004, the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act has allowed the National Park Service to keep the entrance fees to help manage these lands for those who use them. The National Park Service says it will review the comments before deciding whether to implement its proposal. National parks have been creative in raising funds when they don’t get enough money from Congress.

Passengers board the free shuttle at the Zion National Park visitor center. Surprisingly the majority of United States National Park units are free to enter all year long. Parks that do not currently charge entrance fees will remain free. Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The proposed fee is $70. “It could generate a lot of ill will as well,” he said. totalViews: function() { } The other 20 percent goes to projects at other national parks. Those sites, which stretch from Denali in Alaska to Acadia in Maine, generate 70 percent of all park entrance fees. As a result, the cost to maintain the monument and add visitor amenities, including trails and trail maintenance, restrooms, picnic shelters, exhibits, and visitor services continues to increase as well. The cost of the America the Beautiful annual pass will not increase. I'm willing to pay more to keep these beautiful parks protected and clean," wrote another. Read the full disclosure policy here. I know the National Park Service naming system can be very confusing. Create a commenting profile by providing an email address, password and display name. The Park Service budget is less than 1 percent of the overall federal budget, and the proposal from the Trump administration for fiscal year 2018 calls for less money overall for the agency. return 0; We Insist: A Timeline Of Protest Music In 2020, National Parks Have A Long To-Do List But Can't Cover The Repair Costs, Don't Care About National Parks? Please don’t get mad or angry if you pass isn’t accepted. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites. var cookieString = "MSPAN_Paywall_user=0; domain=.

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