Marin County, CA-The National Park Service is exploring increasing entrance and other fees at national park sites across the country as the agency prepares for its 100thanniversary and the next century of service. As part of this service-wide action, Golden Gate National Recreation Area is considering increasing fees within the national park units that it administers.
Though it is free to visit Fort Point National Monument and most of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods has a $7 fee that may be raised to $10. The revenue from these fee increases will be used to provide enhanced visitor experiences and services, including rehabilitation of trails, installation and repair of interpretive exhibits, repair and maintenance of historic facilities, and resource protection. The fee to enter Muir Woods National Monument was increased from $5 to $7, incorporating a $2 State Park Use Fee, on Jan. 1, 2012.
Other fees that may be affected include the federal portion of the entrance to Alcatraz - which could be raised from $1.00 to $2.00 - and parking fees in several areas near the Golden Gate Bridge to ensure adequate parking for visitors to the parks.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area is collecting public comment on these proposed changes throughDec. 19, 2014. To comment online, visithttps://parkplanning.nps.gov/ProposedFees55192home Written comments may also be sent to: General Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Building 201, Fort Mason, San Francisco, California, 94123.
"Increasing these fees will result in additional funds to improve park facilities, infrastructure, and visitor services," said Golden Gate National Recreation Area Superintendent Frank Dean."But there are also other implications when fees are increased, so we would like to know how the public feels about these proposed changes." ###
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
