News Release

Entrance Fee Changes to Address Infrastructure Needs & Improve Visitor Experience

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Entrance Station

NPS Photo

News Release Date: April 16, 2018

Contact: Mary Plumb, 928-608-6202

The National Park Service (NPS) announced today that Glen Canyon National Recreation Area will modify its entrance fees to provide additional funding for infrastructure and maintenance needs to enhance the visitor experience. Effective June 1, 2018, the entrance fees to the park will be $30 per vehicle or $25 per motorcycle. An annual park pass will cost $55. All of the money received from entrance fees remains with the National Park Service with at least 80 percent of the revenue going back to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
 
Revenue from entrance fees remains in the National Park Service and helps ensure a quality experience for all who visit. Here in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, at least 80 percent of entrance fees stay in the park and are devoted to spending that supports the visitor. We share the other 20 percent of entry fee income with other national parks for their projects.
 
In response to public comments on a fee proposal released in October 2017, there will be a modest increase for all entrance fee-charging parks, rather than the higher peak-season fees initially proposed only for 17 highly visited national parks.
 
According to Superintendent William Shott, "Fee dollars are extremely important to us for improving and maintaining the park. I believe this unexpected boost from our agency will have a direct and positive effect on many visitor service projects such as allowing us to address evolving demands in the high visitation areas and upping the timeline on existing projects such as the Rainbow Bridge dock replacement."  
 
National parks have experienced record-breaking visitation, with more than 1.5 billion visitors in the last five years. Throughout the country, the combination of an aging infrastructure and increased visitation has put a strain on park roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, bathrooms, and other visitor services and led to a $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog nationwide.
 
The additional revenue from entrance fees at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area will fund projects such as the Horseshoe Bend Overlook trail, Glen Canyon Trail System, enhanced visitor enjoyment and safety along the Colorado River, and emergency medical services.
 
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. 
 
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has had an entrance fee since 1996. The current rate of $25 per vehicle or $20 per motorcycle has been in effect since January 1, 2015. The park is one of 117 National Park Service sites that charges an entrance fee; the other 300 national parks will remain free to enter.
 
The National Park Service has a standardized entrance fee structure, composed of four groups based on park size and type. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is one of 22 sites in group three. Some parks not yet aligned with the other parks in their category will raise their fees incrementally and fully incorporate the new entrance fee schedule by January 1, 2020.
 
The price of the annual America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass and Lifetime Senior Pass will remain $80. 
 
The complete fee schedule will change according to the following:
 

GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
	Per Vehicle	Per Person	Per Motorcycle	Park Specific Annual Pass
Current	25	12	20	50
June 1, 2018	30	15	25	55