Bighorn Canyon Removes Entrance Fees
Written by Andrew-Rossi on May 1, 2018
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is going against the trend that has seen an increase in fees at most National Parks.
Beginning May 25th, Bighorn Canyon will no longer be collecting entrance fees. This comes after a cost benefit analysis completed by the Park Service showed that it wasn’t economically feasible – and that it would actually save money to let people in for free. The analysis showed that Bighorn Canyon spent almost $195,000 annually to collect fees and only brought in just over $95,000.
Christy Fleming, Chief of Interpretation for Bighorn Canyon, says a $5 fee had been in place since May of 1997. She adds that there are other funding sources they can utilize to continue to provide programming to the public. In fact, Fleming says that those public programs could increase, and staff may be able to add more campground programs, kayak programs and summer outreach programs.
Bighorn Canyon averages approximately 250,000 visitors per year. The majority of visitors are local and are returning users.
