Fees to enter Dinosaur National Monument are proposed to double under a structure dictated by the National Park Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., National Parks Traveler reported.
Park Service Director Jon Jarvis earlier this year directed his field staff to start moving towards a four-tiered fee schedule, with the new fees to be instituted by 2017 unless there was strong pushback from the public.
Dinosaur is among “Group 2” parks that were told to set their entrance fees at $20 by 2017. According to an announcement released by the monument this week, the proposed increase from $10 to $20 to enter Dinosaur would not take effect until 2016. Dinosaur last increased its entrance fees in 1998 when fees increased from $5 to $10 per private vehicle.
Additionally, based on comparability studies done with surrounding private and public facilities, the monument is proposing the following changes to campground fee rates:
Green River Campground: an increase from $12 to $18 per site, per night; $9 per site, per night for valid Senior and Access Pass holders,
Split Mountain Group Campground: an increase from $25 to $40 per site, per night. Group size is 9 to 25 people. In the off season when Split Mountain Campground is open to all campers on a first come, first served basis, and no water is available, a base fee of $6 per site per night will be charged,
Gates of Lodore and Echo Park Campgrounds: an increase from $8 per site, per night to $10 per site per night; $5 per site per night for valid Senior and Access Pass holders,
Deerlodge Park Campground: an increase from $8 to $10 per site per night with a 50% discount for valid senior and access pass holders, making it also $5 per site, per night. Additionally, each large group will be required to pay$1 per each additional person above the 8 people covered by the base rate. The maximum group size for sites at Deerlodge is 25 people. This change is being proposed for Deerlodge, because there are no group sites available, yet it is often used by multiple large groups preparing to launch on the Yampa River. Larger groups use more water and increase the cost of maintaining facilities.
Rainbow Park Campground: From free to $6 per site, per night; $3 per site, per night for valid Senior and Access Pass holders.
Frequent comparability studies are done to compare rates and amenities at area private and public campgrounds to ensure that the National Park Service is not unfairly competing with nearby private businesses or putting them at a disadvantage.
“We take our commitment to providing affordable access to the Monument very seriously,” said Monument Superintendent Mark Foust. “We want to provide our visitors with the best possible experience. One way of achieving that goal is to collect and invest funds from entrance and camping fees into providing visitor services and maintaining facilities.”
For the full story, click here.
