BLM using fee increase to enter Red Rock as way to augment services at popular attraction
The hike toward Turtlehead Peak, one of the more popular climbs at Red Rock Canyon, has received some slight enhancements with directional signs in the last few years. It’s part of the upgrades in amenities and services the Bureau of Land Management says it has made at the Red Rock recreation area, a popular destination just west of Las Vegas for locals and visitors.
The augmentation in amenities and services, including additional staff to assist with the rush of visitors as the conservation area annually establishes visitation records, will be aided by an increase in fees starting Jan. 1, officials said.
It will cost $20 for passenger vehicles to enter the recreation area that includes a 13-mile scenic drive, picnic area, hiking trails, rock climbing, nature observing and more. It’s an increase from $15 for passenger vehicles, and a spike from $5 to $8 for those on a bicycle, according to the BLM.
BLM sent a news release out Tuesday to remind residents of the change, which was proposed in 2017 and approved in 2018 by the group. The last increase came five years ago.
“Nobody likes to spend more money, but it’s one of those things we needed to do,” said John Asselin, a public affairs specialist from the Southern Nevada district of the BLM.
The increase is much-needed to expand services for the hordes of visitors expected in the upcoming years, he said.
In 2012, the recreation area surpassed 1 million annual visitors for the initial time. With less than a month remaining in 2022, 3.7 million people have made their way to the attraction this year. By 2025, the agency projects 5 million will utilize the recreation area, as it’s become a landing spot for outdoor tourism.
Boris Poff, the national conservation area manager, said in a statement that “the core basis of an adjustment in the recreation fees is to ensure the Bureau of Land Management meets its conservation, recreation, public enjoyment and visitor experience management goals for present and future generations identified in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision.”
Recent upgrades include directional signs, including on the Turtlehead
Peak trail to assist hikers who often lost their way on the climb, Asselin said. The fees will go to hire more park rangers to assist visitors, as well as for routine maintenance such as fixing broken fences that are more vulnerable to wear and tear because of the increased visitor rate.
That wear and tear is alarming to Las Vegas-area conservationists, said Terri Janison, the executive director of Friends of Red Rock Canyon. The group is determined to protect the environmental integrity of the conservation area and wants visitors to enjoy their visit responsibly.
In the past few years, many aren’t being too responsible, Janison said. There’s street graffiti on the rocks, garbage (water bottles, dog feces, food wrappers) on the trails, and COVID-ERA face coverings littered everywhere, she said.
Volunteers in a recent cleanup outing filled 60 garbage bags of trash, those items carelessly left behind on trails or at picnic benches. Similar pick-up outings in past years would net no more than 20 bags of waste, she said.
“It’s become more and more common and I don’t understand why. I wish I had a good answer for you,” Janison said.
What’s most disheartening, Janison stressed, is the destruction of the rocks with street graffiti. Covering graffiti on a brick wall or overpass in the city requires some paint and sweat equity, but it’s not that simple in the recreation area, she said.
A chemical mixture is used with hopes of not harming the rocks’ integrity. After all, those rocks comprise some of the sights that made Red Rock a worldwide destination.
Janison has posted photos of the destruction on the group’s social media accounts with hopes of educating would-be visitors to “have an understanding of how old and historic these rocks are.”
Additionally, the fee for annual passes will increase from $30 to $50 starting Jan. 1. The fees for motorcyclists ($10) and pedestrians ($5) will not increase.