(Photo by NPCA Photos/Flickr)
It's no secret that America's greatest treasures, its National Parks, are woefully underfunded. So it should come as no surprise that after a moratorium of nine years, fees will be going up at some of the most popular parks and recreation areas. These include entrance fees, campground costs, tour prices, and more.
The increases aren't drastic, thankfully, and they don't include annual park passes. The costs for those will remain steady, making them a better value than ever. As well, a number of the parks are going through the required "public engagement" phase, which allow members of the public to weigh in on the proposed new costs. So it will be months before all of the price changes are announced.
At this stage, the biggest news is that Yosemite will be raising its entrance fee to $25 in 2015 and will be again upping the fee to $30 in 2017. Mammoth Caves will be increasing rates for cave tours (up $1 each) and campgrounds (up $3-$5 on average); Oregon Caves will be upping rates on its tours as well. Splendiferous Theodore Roosevelt National Parks (pictured) in the Badlands will see a $5 increase in entrance fees as will Shenandoah National Park.
Even with these increases (which will go towards much needed park maintenance, by the way), our National Parks remain the greatest vacation value in the United States. Long may they thrive!
