Yellowstone Fees Could Increase Sharply

The National Park Service is proposing a steep increase to entrance fees at 17 of its most popular sites next year.
Under the proposal, peak-season entrance fees would be established at the selected national parks, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton. The peak season for each park would be defined as its busiest contiguous five-month period of visitation. Visitors to these parks during the busiest five month periods would be charged $70 per vehicle, up from the current $30 fee. A 30-day public comment period opened Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said that the infrastructure of our national parks is aging and in need of renovation and restoration, adding that targeted fee increases at some of the most-visited parks will help ensure that they are protected and preserved.
The proposal comes less than two years after many of the parks that charge entrance fees became more costly. The rationale is the same this time around – to address a maintenance backlog and infrastructure projects.
The Park Service says it expects to raise $70 million a year with this latest proposal. Should the proposal go through, the new fee structure would be implemented beginning May 1st of next year.
The proposed new fee structure would be implemented at Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Denali, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Olympic, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion National Parks with peak season starting on May 1, 2018; in Acadia, Mount Rainier, Rocky Mountain, and Shenandoah National Parks with peak season starting on June 1, 2018; and in Joshua Tree National Park as soon as practicable in 2018.