Your Dollars At Work

Your Fee Dollars

80% of the fees you pay when you enter the park, stay at a campground, or tour the Au Sable Lighthouse come back to Pictured Rocks specifically for projects that enhance your experience and protect park resources. The next time you visit you may notice new wayside exhibits, renovated visitor center buildings, repaired trail bridges, and improved accessibility features like benches with backs and arm rests. These are just a few of the projects at Pictured Rocks that are funded by your fees. 

 

Thank you for your support!

Your entrance fee and other recreation fees go toward many projects and services at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore that could not be funded otherwise. Pictured Rocks is permitted to collect these fees under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA). This act authorizes Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore to keep up to 80% of the fees collected. The remaining revenue is generally distributed to park that do not collect fees but have similar needs, and to fund other service-wide initiatives.

 

Many portions of the North Country trail have been improved with entrance fee dollars.

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How Are Entrance Fees Used?

Visitation to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has more than doubled during the past decade. This increase of visitation has caused immense wear and tear on aging park facilities - like septic fields and trails. In order to ensure Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is an enjoyable, clean, and accessible experience for all visitors, the park began charging an entrance fee in March 2022.

 

Your tax dollars fund initiatives like protecting the federally threatened Pitcher's thistle.

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How Are Tax Dollars Used?

Your federal taxes are used in nearly every area of park operations. From law enforcement to biological research, your tax dollars are crucial to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Although tax dollars cover many aspects of park operations, rising costs, increased visitation, and aging facilities often cause the park to require additional funds generated from entrance fees.

 

Entrance fees helped rebuild the Miner's Beach stairs after major storm damage.

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Completed Projects Using Your Fee Dollars

• Repair the Miners Castle septic field, creating new toilet facilities and maintaining existing ones.
• Repair the Miners Beach stairs following major storm damage.
• Maintain campgrounds.
• Add new accessibilitiy features around the park and on the park website.
• Design and install new interpretive opportunities around the park.
• Reconstruct 12 boardwalks along the North Country Trail between Sand Point and Miners Castle.
• Replace the foot bridge crossing the Hurricane River in the picnic area.

Future Projects Using Your Fee Dollars

• Renovate a backcountry cabin to be rented by the public in the future.
• Replace aging and outdated interpretive waysides throughout the park.
• Repair trails to meet accessibility standards.
• Completing the much-needed renovation of the Munising Falls Visitor Center.

 

Grant funding allowed the park to purchase an accessible fishing dock for Grand Sable Lake in 2022.

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Other Sources of Funding

Grants
The park applies for grant funding for a variety of projects every year. These include:

• Purchase of a new accessible fishing dock at Grand Sable Lake.
• Funding for staff to present educational programs to local schools, and to provide free bus transportation for field trips to the park that schools could otherwise not afford.

Commercial Authorization Use (CUA) Fees
A percentage of fees paid to Pictured Rocks by commercial businesses that operate within the park (such as boat cruises and kayak tours) is used to pay for seasonal employees and to fund various projects.

 

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