Fort Oglethorpe, GA: The National Park Service (NPS) announced today Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will increase its entrance fees for Point Park to provide additional funding for infrastructure and maintenance needs to enhance the visitor experience. Effective Jan. 1, 2020, the entrance fees to the park will be $10 per person, ages 16 and older, for a seven day visit. An annual park pass will be $35.
All revenue received from entrance fees remain with the National Park Service and helps ensure a quality experience for all who visit. At Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, 100 percent of entrance fees stay in the park and are devoted to projects that support the visitor.
“Park entrance fees are a vital part of our overall strategy to fund infrastructure repairs and improve the experience for all park visitors," stated Superintendent Brad Bennett. “With additional investments from annual project funding and philanthropic support from park partners, we are committed to preserving this special place for future generations."
In response to public comments on a fee proposal released in October 2017, there will be a modest increase for all entrance fee-charging parks, rather than the higher peak-season fees initially proposed only for 17 highly-visited national parks.
National parks have experienced record breaking visitation, with more than 1.5 billion visitors in the last five years. Throughout the country, the combination of an aging infrastructure and increased visitation has put a strain on park roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, restrooms, and other visitor services and led to a $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog nationwide.
The additional revenue from entrance fees at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will help further reduce the park’s maintenance backlog on visitor centers, cultural landscapes, historic monuments, and more than 80 miles of trails. Within the past two years, entrance fee revenues have funded repairs to the Point Park flagstone walkways, rehabilitation of the exterior faç;ade Gateway, Signal Point, Sherman Reservation, Orchard Knob, Moccasin Bend, and Chickamauga Battlefield - remain free of any entrance fees.
The purpose of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is to preserve, protect, and interpret the nationally significant resources associated with the Civil War Campaign for Chattanooga and the 12,000 years of American Indian presence on Moccasin Bend. With its historic significance, scenic views, and 80-mile trail system, the park continues to serve as a major driver of the local tourism economy, remaining the top tourist destination in the greater Chattanooga area with close to 1 million visitors annually. In 2018, park visitors spent almost $56 million in surrounding communities, supporting 837 jobs in the local area for a cumulative economic benefit of over $69 million to the local economy. To plan your visit or to learn more, explore the park’s Ochs at website, like us on www.nps.gov/chch, follow us on Twitter, or find us on Facebook.
For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-821-7786.
Tags: fee increase chickamauga and chattanooga national military park point park
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
