The National Park Service has proposed raising entrance fees in 131 of the 401 public properties under its management, . In a memo sent last month, Park Service director John Jarvis credited a desire to complete improvements before the 100th anniversary of the Park Service in 2016.
The size of the proposed increases varies across the parks, and the majority of properties will retain the same entrance fees. But Glacier National Park, for instance, would raise the cost of a vehicle pass by 50 percent, from $20 to $30, and Great Sand Dunes National Park will more than triple its individual entrance fee, jumping to $10 from $3.
The superintendents of each park will be responsible for determining when the new rates go into effect. This is the first system-wide fee increase since 2008.