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Contact: Penny Wagner, 360-565-3005
PORT ANGELES, WA – The National Park Service (NPS) announced today that Olympic National Park will modify its entrance fees beginning June 1, 2018 to provide additional funding for infrastructure and maintenance needs that enhance the visitor experience. Effective June 1, 2018 the park entrance fee will be $30 per vehicle or $25 per motorcycle. An annual park pass will cost $55.
The NPS last October proposed a plan to adopt seasonal pricing at Olympic National Park and 16 other national parks to raise additional revenue for infrastructure and maintenance needs. The fee structure announced today addresses many concerns and ideas provided by the public on how best to address fee revenue for parks.
Revenue from entrance fees remains in the National Park Service and helps ensure a quality experience for all who visit. Here in Olympic National Park, 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.
“Entrance fees are a critical source of revenue for the park in fulfilling our commitment to providing a quality experience for all visitors,” said park superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. “The rehabilitation of our main park visitor center was funded largely through entrance fees. We look forward to addressing deferred maintenance projects including aging wastewater treatment systems with the additional revenue.”
The additional revenue from entrance fees at Olympic National Park will fund projects such as the replacement of the Log Cabin and Barnes Point wastewater treatment plants at Lake Crescent, Kalaloch water system improvements, rehabilitation of the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center and installation of new interpretive exhibits, road improvements to reduce congestion at Heart O’ the Hills entrance station on Hurricane Ridge Road, and improvements to comfort stations and campsites in campgrounds across the park.
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 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.
Olympic National Park has had an entrance fee since 1987. The current rate of $25 per vehicle has been in effect since 2015. The park is one of 117 in the National Park System that charges 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.
The complete fee schedule will change according to the following:
| Olympic National Park | ||||
| Per Vehicle |
Per Motorcycle |
Per Person |
Park-Specific Annual Pass | |
| Current | $25 | $20 | $10 | $50 |
| June 1, 2018 | $30 | $25 | $15 | $55 |
For more information about visiting Olympic National Park, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/olym.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Last updated: April 13, 2018