News Release

Arches and Canyonlands National Parks Accepting Comments on Proposed Fee Increases for Backcountry Operations

NPS

News Release Date: April 26, 2021

Contact: Angie Richman, [phone]

Contact: Keri Nelson, [phone]

Contact: Park Information Line, [phone]

MOAB, UT— Arches and Canyonlands national parks are seeking public feedback on proposed fee changes for Fiery Furnace tickets in Arches and backcountry and river permits in Canyonlands. The proposed changes would allow us to cover staffing and operational costs and improve our ability to support essential and effective operations and visitor services.  

Arches:
To recover the cost of operating Fiery Furnace self-guided and ranger-led tours, Arches National Park proposes to increase the per-person ticket fee for both tours. Self-guided ticket fees have not increased since 1999 and ranger-led ticket fees have not increased since the early 2000s. The proposed fee increase will help the park recover the cost of supporting this special experience at the park.

Current Fee Structure:

• Self-guided tickets are $6 per adult and $3 per child and those with senior or access passes.

• Ranger-led tickets are $16 per adult and $8 per child and those with senior or access passes.

Arches proposes the following fee changes:

• Increasing self-guided tickets to $10 per person, with a single fee for each reservation type. This means we will no longer have a child’s fee or accept the access or senior pass for a half-price ticket.

• Stop offering a child, access or senior discount for ranger-led tickets. Any person, regardless of age or pass type, will be charged $16 per ticket.

Canyonlands:
Canyonlands National Park has seen a 34% increase in overnight backcountry use and a 60% increase in overall park visitation since 2013, which has caused the need for more maintenance work and more park staff.

Current fee structure:

• All land- and river-based backcountry permit reservations cost $36. Of this fee, $6 goes back to recreation.gov, which handles our reservation services.

• In addition, we require $20 per person for all river permits.

Canyonlands proposes the following fee changes:

• Requiring $5 per person per night for land-based backcountry permits.

• Increasing river permits to $25 per person.

The proposed fee increases would allow us to hire more park personnel who can help in our visitor centers and on the rivers. These staff are uniquely able to inform visitors about resource protection, provide quality visitor services and enhance visitor safety. Park personnel who can provide quality educational information based on their first-hand knowledge of the area’s backcountry and wilderness are essential to preserve the park and improve visitor experiences.

Canyonlands and Arches national parks are proposing that all fee changes go into effect by Nov. 10, 2021, depending on the information we receive during this public comment period and the operational requirements of implementing these changes.

The NPS is accepting public comments on the potential fee increases from April 26, 2021 through May 25, 2021 on the NPS Planning, Environment, & Public Comment (PEPC) website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/SEUGpermitfeeincreases

or through mail at:
SEUG Superintendent
ATTN: Proposed Fee Increase
2282 SW Resource Blvd. Moab, UT 84532.

Thank you for your interest in this issue. Please reach out to Angie Richman at [phone] or Keri Nelson at [phone] if you have any questions about this proposal.

www.nps.gov 

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