WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The National Park Service is looking to increase the entrance fees at 17 of its most popular parks during the peak season.
'Proposed peak season entrance fees and revised fees for road-based commercial tours would generate badly needed revenue for improvements to the aging infrastructure of national parks. This includes roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, bathrooms, and other visitor services,' the NPS said in a statement.
During the peak season, visitors to the 17 parks, which include Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, would be charged $70 per vehicle, $50 per motorcycle, and $30 per person on bike or foot.
'The infrastructure of our national parks is aging and in need of renovation and restoration,' said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. 'Targeted fee increases at some of our most-visited parks will help ensure that they are protected and preserved in perpetuity and that visitors enjoy a world-class experience that mirrors the amazing destinations they are visiting.'
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.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX