Rehabilitation of a trail in Grand Canyon National Park by NPS and American Conservation Experience personnel was funded in part by entrance fees. NPS Photo 
 
 News Release Date: October 24, 2017 
 
 
 
 Contact: NPS Office of Communications, 202-208-6843 
 
 Public invited to provide comments on proposed peak season fee increases at 17 highly visited parks 
 
 WASHINGTON – As part of its commitment to improve the visitor experience and ensure America’s national parks are protected in perpetuity, the National Park Service (NPS) is considering increases to fees at highly visited national parks during peak visitor seasons. The National Park Service said the increase would help pay for badly needed improvements, including to roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, bathrooms and other visitor services at the parks. The plan was announced by the U.S. Department of Interior, which said the increase was needed to pay for “improvements to the aging infrastructure of national parks.” 
 
 Fees would rise during “peak season,” defined as the busiest five-month period of visitation at each park, the National Park Service said in a news release. “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 increased fees would bring in $70 million in new national park revenue, a 34 percent increase over 2016, the release stated.  (CNN) — The National Park Service proposes more than doubling the entrance fees at 17 popular national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone, to help pay for infrastructure improvements. Most popular National Parks in 2016 (59 total) 
 
 Great Smoky Mountains National Park -- 11,312,786 million visitors 
 
 Grand Canyon National Park -- 5,969,811 
 
 Yosemite National Park -- 5,028,868 
 
 Rocky Mountain National Park -- 4,517,585 
 
 Zion National Park -- 4,295,127 
 
 Yellowstone National Park -- 4,257,177 
 
 Olympic National Park -- 3,390,221 
 
 Acadia National Park -- 3,303,393 
 
 Grand Teton National Park -- 3,270,076 A public comment period on the peak-season entrance fee proposal will be open from October 24, 2017 to November 23, 2017, on the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website https://parkplanning.nps.gov/proposedpeakseasonfeerates. Comments can also be sent in writing to 1849 C Street, NW, Mail Stop: 2346 Washington, DC 20240. If implemented, estimates suggest that the peak-season price structure could increase national park revenue by $70 million per year. In 2016, National Park Services received a record-breaking 331 million visits, which marked a 7.7% increase over 2015. During the peak season at each park, the entrance fee would be $70 per private, non-commercial vehicle, $50 per motorcycle, and $30 per person on bike or foot. A park-specific annual pass for any of the 17 parks would be available for $75. The cost of the annual America the Beautiful- The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which provides entrance to all federal lands, including parks for a one-year period, would remain $80. The majority of national parks will remain free to enter; only 118 of 417 park sites charge an entrance fee, and the current proposal only raises fees at 17 fee-charging parks 
 
 The National Park Service is also proposing entry and permit fee adjustments for commercial tour operators.
– With the Trump administration planning to slash the National Park Service's budget, a new proposal could see entrance fees for 17 of the most-visited national parks in the country more than double during peak months. In an effort to boost revenue to pay "for improvements to the aging infrastructure of national parks," the Department of Interior has proposed increasing entrance fees from $25 to $30 for a private non-commercial vehicle to $70 during the busiest five-month period at parks including Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Glacier, Denali, and Mount Rainier, reports KTLA. Pedestrians would be charged $30, up from $10 to $15, increasing revenue by an estimated $70 million per year, according to a release. Under the proposal, which would be instituted beginning in 2018, an annual park pass would cost $75, while a pass permitting entry to all US national parks would remain at its current $80 fee. The park service is accepting public comments on the proposal until Nov. 23 but has already come under fire. Noting the Trump administration "just proposed a major cut to the National Park Service budget," the president of the National Parks Conservation Association says administration officials must "work with Congress to address the maintenance backlog." The costs of repairs to a park "cannot and should not be largely shouldered by its visitors," she adds in a statement, per CNN, expressing concern that the change would make parks "unaffordable."