Your Fee Dollars At Work

A new vault toilet building has been installed near the Bierstadt Lake Trailhead

NPS Photo

The Federal lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) funds projects in Rocky Mountain National Park that help improve your visitor experience and protect resources for future generations.

Projects In RMNP That Have Been Supported By Your Recreation Fee Dollars Include:

• Vault Toilet Replacement Projects: A new vault toilet facility has been installed near the Bierstadt Lake Parking Area and Trailhead. This new building replaces an old vault toilet building that had outlived its service life.
• Hazard Tree Mitigation: The park is among many areas along the Rocky Mountains where trees have been dying from a beetle epidemic. Recreation fee monies have funded extensive mitigation of hazard trees in or near developed areas and other popular park facilities, such as campgrounds, parking lots, road corridors, housing areas and visitor centers.
• Hiking Trail Repairs and Improvements: Many hiking trail repair projects have been funded by recreation fee monies, such as repairing washed out sections of trail, the installation of bridges, and the installation of vault toilets at heavily used trailheads.
• Wilderness Campsites Improvements: Rocky Mountain National Parks wilderness campsites are used by thousands of backcountry campers each year. Recreation fee monies help fund the maintenance of these cherished campsites.
• Bear Management: Park entrance and campground fees help keep bears wild at Rocky Mountain National Park. Thanks in part to fee dollars collected over the past 20 years, 100% of the park’s garbage cans, recycling bins, and dumpsters are now bear-resistant. The park has also gone from 0 food storage lockers to 352. Your recreation fees also help support visitor education programs focused on black bears.
• Restoration of Historic Rock Walls along Trail Ridge Road: The historic rock walls along Trail Ridge Road provide for visitor safety and a visually pleasant drive. Originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, recreation fee program funding allows for damaged sections of these rock walls to be restored by Rocky Mountain National Park staff who specialize in rock work.