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Entrance fees raised at Arches and Canyonlands national parks

Posted at 7:54 AM, Jun 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-01 10:52:39-04

MOAB, Utah — New entrance fees are in effect at two National Parks in Utah.

Entrance fees at Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park have increased to $30 per vehicle or $25 per motorcycle, up from $25 per vehicle and $15 per motorcycle.

The per person fees and Southeast Utah Group fees are also going up by $5 each. The parks are now charging $15 per person and $55 for an SEUG annual pass, which allows access to Arches National park, Canyonlands National Park, Hovenweep National Monument and Natural Bridges National Monument.

“Revenue from entrance fees remains in the National Park Service and helps ensure a quality experience for all who visit. In both Arches and Canyonlands national parks, 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,” a news release from the National Parks Service said.

The additional revenue collected from entrances fees at Arches and Canyonlands will go toward repairing trails and roads, updating exhibits in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands, provide staffing to assist with traffic congestion, improve the visitor contact station in The Maze District of Canyonlands and other services for visitors, according to NPS.

“There is always a delicate balance between resources required to improve visitor services and the effort to ensure that parks are accessible for all,” according to Kate Cannon, superintendent of the Southeast Utah Group, in the news release. “We think this increase across many parks nationally is easier for our community than a larger increase locally would have been.”

The price of the annual America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass and the Lifetime Senior Pass will both remain $80.