One of the best adventures I've had in the National Park System came when I joined a Wild Cave Tour at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Covered head-to-toe in hard hat, overalls, knee guards, and heavy boots, our crew spent about five hours crawling, climbing, and occasionally walking upright in sections of the cave not on the normal tours, our way lit by the headlamps attached to our hard hats.

It was an incredible experience, one I hope to duplicate one of these days. If I do, it likely will be a bit more expensive, as park officials have proposed an increase in cave tour and camping fees. As proposed, cave tour prices would increase from $1-$2 over existing fees, although the Wild Cave Tour would go up $5, to $55. 

'œWe would like to hear what our visitors and neighbors think about the proposal to increase the user fees in the park,' said Superintendent Sarah Craighead.  'œSome of these have not changed in seven or more years, while the cost of doing business has gone up every year.'

You can find details on the proposal, and comment on it, at this website.

The authority to charge recreational fees at national parks stems from the 2004 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.   

'œWe anticipate this increase in park fees will provide an additional $350,000 per year for use in projects that benefit our visitors,' added the superintendent in a release. 'œWe plan to use the new funds for renovations at the Mammoth Cave Hotel.'

Park staff are required to compare the cost of Mammoth Cave fees with the cost of comparable services in the local area:  the proposed cave tour fees are 25-30 percent lower than comparable cave tours; the proposed campsite fees are 40 percent lower than comparable campsites; and proposed picnic shelter fees are 35 percent lower than comparable shelters.

At Mammoth Cave, 80 percent of the money collected is used in the park to provide facilities and services that have direct benefit to park visitors.  The remaining 20 percent helps support projects in the 270 national park units that do not charge entrance fees, such as nearby Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Hodgenville, Ky. 

'œThe recreation fee program is a great asset to Mammoth Cave,' said Superintendent Craighead.  'œPart of the new visitor center was funded with fee dollars, but we have also used it to repair trails, roads and campsites, and cover the cost of summer tour guides and environmental education with local schools. Big Hollow Trail is a product of the fee program.' 

In 2014, fees were increased for eight cave tours that use outlying cave entrances to cover an increase in bus transportation costs. 

Proposed fee increases at Mammoth Cave National Park:

 

Visitor service (tour, campsite, shelter)

present fee ($)

proposed fee ($)

year of last increase

Mammoth Passage Tour (Adult)

5

7

2001

Mammoth Passage Tour (Youth 6-12)

3.5

5

2001

Frozen Niagara Tour (Adult)

12

13

2014

Gothic Avenue Tour (Adult)

11

12

2005

Gothic Avenue Tour (Youth 6-12)

8

9

2005

Domes and Dripstones (Adult)

14

15

2014

Domes and Dripstones (Youth 6-12)

9

10

2014

Great Onyx Tour (Adult)

17

18

2014

Great Onyx Tour (Youth 6-12)

12

13

2014

Historic Tour (Adult)

12

14

2007

Historic Tour (Youth 6-12)

8

9

2005

Cleaveland Avenue (accessible) (Adult)

0

20

N/A

Cleaveland Avenue (accessible) (Youth 6-12)

0

14

N/A

River Styx Tour (Adult)

13

15

2007

River Styx Tour (Youth 6-12)

9

11

2007

Star Chamber Tour (Adult)

12

14

2007

Star Chamber Tour (Youth 6-12)

8

10

2007

Focus on Frozen Niagara-Photo Tour (Adult)

10

13

2007

Focus on Frozen Niagara (Youth 6-12)

8

9

2007

Trog (Child 8-12)

14

16

2007

Introduction to Caving (Adult)

25

26

2014

Introduction to Caving (Youth 6-12)

19

20

2014

Violet City Lantern Tour (Adult)

17

18

2014

Violet City Lantern Tour (Youth 6-12)

12

13

2014

Wild Cave Tour (Adult)

50

55

2014

Discovery Tour (Adult)

4

5

2001

Discovery Tour (Youth 6-12)

2.5

3.5

2001

Mammoth Cave Campground

17

20

2005

Mammoth Cave Group Campground

20

25

2005

Mammoth Cave VIP Campground

40

50

2005

Maple Springs Group/Equestrian (water/electric)

30

35

2007

Maple Springs Group/Equestrian (primitive)

22

25

2007

Open Picnic Shelter

25

50

2007

Enclosed Picnic Shelter

50

75

2007