DENVER (KDVR) — Rocky Mountain National Park wants to increase 2025 summer overnight camping fees by $10 at four campgrounds, but public input is needed before fees are officially determined. .
The changes will be made to four reserved campgrounds: Moraine Park, Glacier Basin, Aspen Glen and Timber Creek Campgrounds. That means summer overnight camping will cost $45 per night instead of $35.
Here’s why a common bug appeared in Denver earlier this year
The park is also proposing an additional $10 increase for new electrical facilities being built at Moraine Park Campground. The proposed rate for 49 electric facilities is $55 per night.
No rate changes are proposed for group sites, winter camping rates, or Longspeak Campground, which is a first-come, first-served summer campground without running water.
Fees provide funding for park maintenance and improvements
The park says the fee increases are necessary for park rangers to improve and maintain a high-quality visitor experience, and that the fees are comparable to “similar services at nearby campgrounds.”
The Park Service says basic park operations are funded through direct spending from Congress, but recreation uses fees collected by the park to support new projects and ongoing maintenance of park facilities. .
Thanks to the Federal Land and Recreation Enhancement Act, parks like Rocky Mountain National Park can keep 80% of the fees they collect within the park to use for projects that directly benefit the park visitor experience. can. The remaining 20% collected is distributed throughout the national park system.
Rocky Mountain National Park plans to use this fee for projects such as:
Hazardous Tree Mitigation: Beetle infestations are killing many trees in the Rocky Mountains. This fee funds extensive mitigation of hazardous trees in or near developed areas, as well as other popular park facilities such as campgrounds, parking lots, roadways, residential areas, and visitor centers. Campground improvements: The park uses fees to replace log linings on tent pads, replace fire rings, maintain trails, and repair and replace picnic tables. Hiking trail restoration: Many hiking trail restoration projects are paid for, such as repairing washed-out portions of hiking trails and installing bridges and vault toilets. Bear Management: Rangers use fees to maintain wild bears in Rocky Mountain National Park. Due to some fees, 100 percent of the park’s trash cans, recycling bins, and garbage cans are bear-proofed, and the Park Service has increased the number of food storage lockers in the park from zero to 352.Photo: One-year-old puma rescued from Vallecito Reservoir spillway
The park is seeking public participation on the proposed fee increases, which will be accepted until May 23. Submit your comments online or mail them to Rocky Mountain National Park, Office of the Superintendent, 1000 US Hwy 36, Estes Park, CO 80517.
All information contained in your comments, including personally identifying information, becomes public record. Although you may ask the Forest Service to remove your personally identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Close modal
Suggest a fix
Suggest a fix
Source link
