Cover Page MENU     Visitor Fees: Table of Contents Appendix     Contents     Executive Summary     Introduction     Recent Legislative History      Current Status      Results of Analysis     Potential Changes		Visitor Fees in the National Park System: A Legislative and Administrative History ANALYSIS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECREATION FEE SYSTEM III. CURRENT STATUS The Service wishes to ensure the equity of the current fee system and the effectiveness of fee collection. The Department and the OMB have also inquired into fee revenues, their relationship to visitation, and the possibility of implementing changes to increase fee revenues. OMB also requested that the Service charge user fees experimentally for at least three visitor transportation systems (VTS) during FY 78. This summer the Service is collecting visitor use data on all VTS operations. Next summer fees will be charged for rides on three systems. The experiment will then be evaluated. The Congress is considering several bills that propose the following changes in the fee system: freezing all entrance fees as of January 1, 1977 (Byron. H.R. 5524); lowering the minimum age to 60 for the Golden Age Passport (Byron, H.R. 5524; Gudger. H.R. 5248); authorizing free entry to blind or disabled persons and those accompanying them; (Byron, H.R. 5524; Sisk, H.R. 5801); and authorizing a multi-day entry permit (Sisk, H.R. 5802). IV. RESULTS OF ANALYSIS In 1976, 116 parks charged fees. Revenue totaled $16.9 million--a 17% increase over the previous year. Of total revenue, entrance fees generated 53%, user fees 38%, and Golden Eagle Passport sales 9%. The number of areas which charge fees is limited due to: legislative or legal restrictions; economic or administrative limitations; limited facilities; and policy considerations. A. ENTRANCE FEES Entrance fees were charged at 66 areas in the National Park System. (See Table I in the appendix). In 1976, the Service collected $9 million in revenue at an estimated cost of $2.2 million. Most revenue was collected from a small number of areas. Ten parks account for 67% of the total; 25 parks account for 93%. Collection costs varied considerably. In general, for every $1 spent collecting entrance fees, an average of $4 was returned in revenue. The ten parks that collected the most revenue also reported the greatest net return--every dollar spent in collection costs returned an average of $5.50 in revenue. Many parks do not collect as much entrance fee revenue as might be expected from annual visitation. This relationship was examined but several factors preclude making a valid comparison: different entrance fee rates, varying collection seasons and hours, entries by Golden Age and Golden Eagle Passport holders, and lack of control led access. B. USER FEES User fees were charged at 77 parks in 1976, mostly for camping. (See Table II in the appendix ). Other services or facilities for which user fees were charged included tours, elevators, use of special sites, special programs and bathhouse lockers. In 1976, the Service collected $6.4 million in user fee revenue at a cost of $2.3 million. User fee revenue in 1976 Increased 14% over 1975. As with entrance fees, most user fee revenue was collected from a small number of parks. Ten parks accounted for 59% of total user fee revenue; 25 parks accounted for 81%. Of the ten highest parks, six were also among the ten highest entrance fee revenue producing parks. The remaining four user fee parks were Mammoth Cave NP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, and Cape Hatteras NS which did not charge entrance fees, and Glacier NP which ranked 19th In revenue among the entrance fee parks. User fees generally returned less revenue in comparison to collection costs than did entrance fees. This difference is due largely to the number and capacity of campgrounds (lower volume, greater time spent collecting less revenue) and greater staffing requirements for personal fee collection. User fees also varied considerably, from as low as 10 cents for elevator service to $4 for campground space. Every $1 spent collecting user fees returned an average of $2.65 in revenue. The ten highest revenue producing parks collected $3.8 million at a cost of $1.2 million. The remaining 67 areas collected $2.3 million in revenue at a cost of $1.1 million. There is some difficulty in reporting and analyzing user fee collection costs. These costs only include operating costs, not amortization of collection facilities and equipment. Moreover, operating costs have been defined as those salaries and other expenses that result solely from fee collection efforts. However, oftentimes fees are collected at facilities that are used for other functions such as visitor information, law enforcement and park offices. Reported fee collection costs ideally should include only a pro-rated portion of the total cost of managing that facility, but staff time spent on each function varies and Is difficult to determine. C. GOLDEN EAGLE AND GOLDEN AGE PASSPORTS In 1976, over 157,000 Golden Eagle Passports were sold and over 270,000 Golden Age Passports were issued. There were approximately 3 million entries by passport holders. Passport purchases and use have increased modestly over the past three years. TABLE I. ENTRANCE FEE PARKS — 1976 (ranked by revenue) PARK REVENUE ESTIMATED COLLECTION COSTS RECREATION VISITS  1. Yosemite NP 1,132,554 244,651 2,682,422  2. Grand Canyon NP 1,007,804 98,481 2,791,551  3. Shenandoah NP 814,085 204,500 2,448,597  4. Yellowstone NP 763,290 219,400 2,519,226  5. Rocky Mountain NP 534,201 101,403 2,727,933  6. Carlsbad Caverns NP 519,176 47,777 876,500  7. Grand Teton NP 329,032 80,700 2,834,702  8. Sequoia NP & Kings Canyon NP 301,805 80,000 1,040,575  9. Muir Woods NM 297,000 35,000 958,247 10. Mt. Rainier NP 267,855 66,370 1,414,472 Subtotal 6,026,802 1,178,282 20,294,225 11. Castillo de San Marcos NM 261,069 36,800 775,721 12. Colonial NHP 249,240 14,252 853,136 13. Zion NP 243,122 49,100 1,089,967 14. Everglades NP 239,010 88,718 955,654 15. Mesa Verde NP 193,863 16,600 675,097 16. Petrified Forest NP 175,782 103,920 1,066,231 17. Cape Cod NS 148,509 32,900 4,989,862 18. Crater Lake NP 147,702 31,000 532,707 19. Glacier NP 136,852 71,514 1,661,178 20. Badlands NM 128,773 27,171 1,210,054 21. Bryce Canyon NP 119,282 13,900 625,597 22. F.D. Roosevelt-Vanderbilt NHS 91,389 34,000 644,623 23. Gulf Islands NS 78,481 32,850 2,350,700 24. White Sands NM 74,354 43,609 575,185 25. Montezuma Castle NM 62,986 27,000 492,912 Subtotal 8,377,216 1,801,616 38,792,849 26. Lassen Volcanic NP 51,985 32,900 461,419 27. Sagamore Hill NHS 38,815 11,400 370,891 28. Black Canyon of the Gunnison NM 37,645 16,754 373,553 29. Great Sand Dunes NM 31,913 12,167 247,972 30. Arches NP 29,701 18,220 294,779 31. Bandelier NM 27,699 14,700 283,225 32. Theodore Roosevelt NMemP 24,760 8,566 937,613 33. Pinnacles NM 23,165 9,451 156,857 34. Walnut Canyon NM 23,013 21,860 76,704 35. Morristown NHP 22,897 12,976 902,981 36. Appomattox Court House NHP 21,841 11,658 220,778 37. Devils Tower NM 21,310 8,798 167,122 38. Colorado NM 19,235 14,174 514,934 39. Casa Grande Ruins NM 19,000 23,200 143,432 40. Aztec Ruins NM 17,056 16,000 67,173 41. Craters of the Moon NM 15,818 5,220 251,303 42. Adams NHS 15,147 2,000 41,792 43. Ft. Pulaski NM 14,578 7,000 323,958 44. Pea Ridge NMP 14,251 13,200 101,314 45. Tumacacori NM 14,212 13,000 80,255 46. Capulin Mountain NM 12,340 3,939 50,707 47. Tuzigoot NM 12,577 16,700 92,726 48. Saguaro NM 12,493 12,200 400,969 49. Ft. Davis NM 12,020 8,700 63,385 50. Scotts Bluff NM 10,383 12,943 213,267 51. Edison NHS 9,924 3,600 54,653 52. Chiricahua NM 8,245 1,185 58,488 53. Natural Bridges NM 6,882 5,400 71,337 54. Chickamauga & Chattanooga NMP 6,506 2,000 1,094,192 55. John Muir NHS 6,064 1,326 29,429 <56. Tonto NM/TD> 5,699 8,820 71,062 57. Longfellow NHS 4,897 5,200 17,877 58. El Morro NM 4,800 9,600 29,561 59. Pipe Spring NM 4,069 1,470 27,150 60. St. Gaudens NHS 3,327 4,422 13,579 61. Minute Man NHP 2,895 1,800 1,165,150 62. Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace NHS 2,798 5,166 13,888 63. Ft. Union NM 2,568 1,211 6,916 64. Andrew Johnson NHS 1,590 500 301,236 65. Salem Maritime NHS 1,093 2,274 18,776 66. JFK NHS 125 250 18,776 TOTAL 8,952,552 2,183,566 47,652,472 TABLE II. USER FEES — 1976 (ranked by revenue) PARK 1976 REVENUE 1976 COSTS TYPE OF FEE Mammoth Cave NP 725,100 74,300 Tours & Campground Yosemite NP 702,961 149,940 Campground Graat Smoky Mountains NP 473,035 171,000 Campground Yellowstone NP 441,683 143,600 Campground Cape Hatteras NS 293,359 135,900 Campground Rocky Mountain NP 277,920 72,596 Campground Shenandoah NP 237,513 121,600 Campground Grand Teton NP 217,330 63,400 Campground Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP 200,038 177,379 Cave Tour & Campground Glacier NP 190,856 75,186 Campground Blue Ridge Parkway 171,999 107,764 Campground Death Valley NM 165,669 39,135 Castle Tour & Campground Acadia NP 149,159 31,00 Campground Grand Canyon NP 142,436 99,268 Campground Lake Mead NRA 137,432 24,400 Campground Gulf Islands NS 113,346 47,272 Campground Wind Cave NP 100,753 14,000 Tours & Campground Olympic NP 90,422 26,413 Campground Zion NP 87,779 14,250 Campground Everglades NP 73,434 28,777 Campground Glen Canyon NRA 72,750 34,700 Campground Mesa Verde NP 69,156 5,680 Campground Mount Rainier NP 68,568 1,203 Campground Gettysburg NMP 68,685 10,500 Programs Big Bend NP 56,442 35,917 Campground Bryce Canyon NP 54,677 13,652 Campground Washington Monument 54,138 44,110 Elevator Sleeping Bear Dunes NL 46,382 17,704 Campground Ozark NSR 46,081 72,230 Campground Jewell Cave NM 45,925 7,000 Tours Chicksaw NRA 41,550 48,000 Campground Buffalo NR 39,332 21,000 Campground Assateague Island NS 39,288 13,740 Campground Greenbelt Park 37,583 9,800 Campground Lassen Volcanic NP 37,136 14,500 Campground Crater Lake NP 35,450 22,000 Campground Mount McKinley NP 33,974 9,600 Campground Organ Pipe Cactus NM 32,339 13,000 Campground Coule Dam NRA 32,298 6,065 Campground North Cascades NP 28,796 18,400 Campground Statue of Liberty NM 27,452 23,302 Elevator Padre Island NS 26,776 9,800 Campground Great Sand Dunes NM 26,550 9,956 Campground Cumberland Island NS 26,187 20,000 Boat Transportation Whiskeytown NRA 24,361 24,400 Campground Hot Springs NP 24,157 18,100 Campground Arches NP 22,221 9,015 Campground Timpanagos Cave NM 19,728 4,700 Tour Dinosaur NM 17,471 8,200 Campground Capitol Reef NP 15,287 4,930 Campground Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial NM 15,095 2,900 Elevator Badlands NM 14,957 3,445 Campground Theodore Roosevelt NMemP 14,108 6,705 Campground Bandelier NM 12,562 5,300 Campground Pinnacles NM 12,477 5,382 Campground Lehman Caves NM 11,882 1,565 Tour Curecanti NRA 11,416 3,700 Campground Cumberland Gap NHP 9,811 6,700 Campground Haleakala NP 9,000 4,500 Back Cabin Colorado NM 8,898 847 Campground Catoctin Mountain Park 8,526 4,069 Campground Prince William Forest Park 8,493 1,967 Campground Canyonlands NP 7,335 4,050 Campground Chiricahua NM 6,911 1,185 Campground Joshua Tree NM 6,870 6,500 Campground Craters of the Moon NM 6,749 607 Campground Gateway NRA 6,575 18,000 Bath House Devil's Tower NM 5,344 2,602 Campground San Juan NHS 4,493 4,300 Tour Devil's Postpile NM 4,136 --- Campground Black Canyon of the Gunnison NM 4,115 2,021 Campground Cedar Breaks NM 3,389 1,400 Campground Hubbell Trading Post NHS 3,300 2,100 Tour Lava Beds NM 3,082 996 Campground Chaco Canyon NM 3,047 1,222 Campground Bighorn Canyon NRA 1,664 778 Campground Natchez Trace Parkway 955 1,700 Campground TOTAL 6,368,150 2,263,925
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