Earlier this month, Yellowstone National Park announced that it would be introducing a backcountry fee for visitors looking to stay overnight. Anyone staying in the park鈥檚 backcountry between May 25 and September 10 will have to pay at least $3.
The $3 charge covers one person per night. , groups of five or more will pay a maximum fee of $15 total per night. A camper also has the option to buy an annual backcountry pass for $25. The cost of reserving a spot more than two nights in advance, which has been in place since 1996, will stay at $25.
The park said in its that revenue from overnight fees will cover 43 percent of the cost of running the park鈥檚 nine backcountry offices. The reservation fee alone covers only 17 percent of the operation costs. Yellowstone hopes to recover some of the cost of running the backcountry program. Funds can also be reallocated to other park operations as needed.
鈥淎s base budgets decline, this overnight backcountry permit fee will help ensure the park is able to maintain the current level of service into the future,鈥 the proposal said.