Sequoia, Kings Canyon change entrance fees
Increase starts June 1, National Park Service announces
The National Park Service (NPS) announced last week that Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will modify its entrance fees beginning June 1 to provide additional funding for infrastructure and maintenance needs that enhance the visitor experience. Effective June 1, the park entrance fee will be $35 per vehicle or $25 per motorcycle. An annual park pass will cost $60.
The National Park Service (NPS) announced last week that Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will modify its entrance fees beginning June 1 to provide additional funding for infrastructure and maintenance needs that enhance the visitor experience. Effective June 1, the park entrance fee will be $35 per vehicle or $25 per motorcycle. An annual park pass will cost $60.
The NPS last October proposed a plan to adopt seasonal pricing at Sequoia and Kings Canyon and 16 other national parks to raise additional revenue for infrastructure and maintenance needs. The fee structure addresses many concerns and ideas provided by the public on how best to address fee revenue for parks, officials stated.
Revenue from entrance fees remains in the National Park Service and helps ensure a quality experience for all who visit, officials stated. Here in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 80 percent of entrance fees stay in the park and are devoted to spending that supports the visitor. The other 20 percent of entry fee income is shared with other national parks for their projects.
“Entrance fees are critical to improving facilities and services that support a quality visitor experience,” says Woody Smeck, Superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. “This year we are repairing campground restrooms, replacing outdated educational exhibits, and rehabilitating the John Muir Trail with entrance fee dollars.”
The additional revenue from entrance fees at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will be used for deferred maintenance projects like replacing the Lodgepole Visitor Center roof, improving wildlife habitat in Crescent Meadow and Round Meadow, and repairing multiple trail bridges.
National parks have experienced recordbreaking visitation, with more than 1.5 billion visitors in the last five years. Throughout the country, the combination of aging infrastructure and increased visitation affects park roads, bridges, buildings, campgrounds, water systems, bathrooms, and other facilities. Maintenance deferred on these facilities amounts to $11.6 billion nationwide backlog.
Entrance fees collected by the National Park Service totaled $199.9 million in Fiscal Year 2016. The NPS estimates that once fully implemented, the new fee structure will increase annual entrance fee revenue by about $60 million.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have had an entrance fee since 1910. The current rate of $30 per vehicle or $25 per motorcycle has been in effect since 2016. The park is one of 117 in the National Park System that charge an entrance fee. The remaining 300 sites are free to enter.
The price of the annual America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass and Lifetime Senior Pass will remain $80.
The National Park Service has a standardized entrance fee structure, composed of four groups based on park size and type. Sequoia and Kings Canyons National Parks is one of 9 sites in group 4.
The complete fee schedule will change according to the following for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks:
— Current: Per Vehicle $30; Per Motorcycle $25; Per Person $15; Park Specific Annual Pass $50.
— June 1, 2018: Per Vehicle $35; Per Motorcycle $30; Per Person $20; Park Specific Annual Pass $60.