More Parks Pushing Fee Increases At Direction Of Interior Secretary

Every week, it seems like another park is asking the public for input on increasing its entrance fees. Turns out, there’s a simple explanation: The Interior Department is telling them to.

And at one park, Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, that means implementing two rate increases, ultimately doubling the cost of a seven-day vehicle pass, in just 12 months.

The National Park Service received direction in May that all parks not aligned with their designated fee group, based on park type, must begin civic engagement to raise fees to compliance by 2018, according to one park release. Another cited the Interior Department, and in particular Secretary Ryan Zinke, as the source: “All fee-collecting parks ... have been instructed by the Secretary of the Interior to raise entrance fees to the full level of their assigned tier by January 1, 2018.”

In 2006, the Park Service developed a fee structure to standardize rates across the country. Four groupings were created based on park designation:

Group 1

• National historic sites, national military parks, national battlefields, national battlefield parks, national memorials or shrines, national preserves, parkways
• Annual Pass: $30; Per Vehicle: $15; Per Person: $7; Per Motorcycle: $10

Group 2

• National seashores, national recreation areas, national monuments, national lakeshores, national historical parks
• Annual Pass: $40; Per Vehicle: $20; Per Person: $10; Per Motorcycle: $15

Group 3

• National parks
• Annual Pass: $50; Per Vehicle: $25; Per Person: $12; Per Motorcycle: $20

Group 4

• National parks (Bryce Canyon, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Olympic, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion)
• Annual Pass: $60; Per Vehicle: $30; Per Person: $15; Per Motorcycle: $25

However, in 2008, then-Director Mary Bomar imposed a moratorium that froze entrance fees at 2007 levels. That freeze continued until late in 2014. Although parks have been raising fees since then, as 80 percent of collections remain in the park, they until recently did so by choice.

The new directive might be most keenly felt at Devils Tower, where fees were increased just seven months ago, on January 3. But that increase (vehicle entry was raised from $10 to $15) only brought the park in line with Group 1, and all national monuments are supposed to charge at the Group 2 rate, so another proposal is open for comment.

“We understand that no one likes fee increases, but this fee revenue is critical in funding a wider variety of visitor services, facility improvement projects, and resource protection efforts,” Devils Tower Superintendent Tim Reid said in a release. “We ask for public comment and support in taking this step in preserving a quality visitor experience at Devils Tower.”

Devils Tower is joined by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan and a growing list of parks across the country taking input in order to comply with the Interior Department.

Sleeping Bear Dunes is also proposing a second increase in a short period of time. It raised rates in 2016 to Group 1 levels, and national lakeshores are in Group 2. The park also wants to charge $4 more per night at the Platte River and D. H. Day campgrounds.

“The idea of increasing fees is always troubling, but the fact of the matter is we depend on fee revenue to maintain the facilities and services that people expect,” Sleeping Bear Dunes Superintendent Scott Tucker said in a release. “We are committed to keeping the park affordable, but we also want to provide visitors the best possible experience. These fee changes are still an incredible value when compared to other family and recreation opportunities.”

In addition, Sleeping Bear Dunes plans to make its campsites available for reservation beginning in 2019. The D. H. Day Campground averaged over 93 percent occupancy in July and August from 2012 to 2016, with campers routinely turned away. Currently, campers often arrive the day before to wait overnight for a site, creating long lines, illegal camping, and associated safety hazards and resource damage. Although over half of the campsites at Platte River Campground are already available for reservation, all campsites will be available through Recreation.gov for arrival dates of May 1 through October 15.

To comment (Devils Tower)

• Deadline: August 31, 2017
• Online: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=73595
• Mail: Devils Tower National Monument; P.O. Box 10; Devils Tower, WY 82714
• In person:

6-8 p.m. Wednesday, August 2, Town Hall, 401 Sager St., Hulett, Wyoming

6-8 p.m. Thursday, August 3, Crook County Courthouse Community Room, Sundance, Wyoming

To comment (Sleeping Bear Dunes)

• Deadline: July 31, 2017
• Online: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/sleepingbearfees2017
• Mail: Superintendent; Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore; 9922 Front St.; Empire, MI 49630