Officials at Glacier National Park say they are unsure if the price for a park pass or boat launch permit will be going up in the future. The one certainty is those fees will not be increasing this summer.
Four months after park officials solicited public comment about proposed fee increases, park spokesperson Bill Hayden said Glacier has still not received approval from the National Park Service to change or raise fees. He said the earliest fees could increase is the fall, when winter season rates go into effect.
Proponents of the fee increase, including the National Park Conservation Association and the Glacier National Park Conservation Association, said that modest increases could help fund interpretive programs and trail maintenance that have been cut in recent years. NPCA Crown of the Continent Program Manager Michael Jamison said late last year that it was important to keep the increases in perspective. He noted that it costs a family of five less money to visit a national park for seven days than it does for that same family to go to the movie theater for less than two hours.
“National Parks have been and continue to be an incredibly affordable family destination,” Jamison said.
While a seven-day vehicle pass would increase from $25 to $30, the annual pass would increase from $35 to $60. The winter vehicle pass would go from $15 to $20. The hiker/biker summer pass would increase from $12 to $15, but the winter pass would remain at $10. The seven-day motorcycle pass would increase from $12 per person to $25 per motorcycle in summer and from $10 per person to $15 per motorcycle in winter.
The proposal also included the implementation of a motorized boat launch fee and would support managing the boat launch facilities within the park. Officials say the fee would be $10 for a seven-day pass and $40 for an annual pass.
Lastly, the National Park Service also proposed an increase to various camping fees, specifically at the Many Glacier Campground, where one night’s stay would increase from $20 to $23. If approved, that fee would be implemented in the summer of 2016. Fees would also increase at group campsites in the park, including St. Mary, Apgar, Many Glacier and Two Medicine. The proposed fee is $65 per group reservation site and $60 for first-come, first-serve group sites.
If approved, the fee increases would bring in an additional $500,000 every year to Glacier’s coffers. Eighty percent of the fees a national park collects go directly to visitor services and maintenance within the park. The remaining 20 percent is distributed throughout the rest of the park service.