National Park Fees Are Increasing—Here's How Much You'll Have to Pay This Summer

If your summer plans include a visit to one of our national parks, you may need to squeeze a few extra dollars into your vacation budget. As Money reports, America's most popular parks are raising their prices starting this June.

At parks that already charge entrance fees, visitors can expect to see those costs rise by about $3, $5, or $10. The price hike isn't all bad news for people who have been following this story closely. The National Park Service originally planned to increase vehicle entrance fees in 17 parks from $30 to $70 during peak seasons, but following intense criticism, the Department of the Interior (which oversees the park service) went with a less extreme change. The new prices—which apply to per-vehicle, per-person, per-motorcycle, and annual park passes—will go into effect by June 1 at the most popular national parks and by 2019 or 2020 at other sites.

As traffic through national parks has exploded in recent years, the infrastructure that keeps them running has taken a hit. The Interior Department claims it's shouldering $11.6 billion in overdue maintenance costs for the parks, and a boost in revenue can help them tackle more.

Canada's national parks, meanwhile, have gone the opposite direction with their admission system. Earlier in 2018, they announced that entrance fees would be waived for all visitors under 18, and the full price for adult visitors would remain less than $10 on average.

To see how the U.S.'s price hike might affect you, check out the increase in single-vehicle passes for the most popular national parks below.

Acadia National Park: $25 to $30

Arches National Park: $25 to $30

Bryce Canyon National Park: $30 to $35

Glacier National Park: $30 to $35

Grand Canyon National Park: $30 to $35

Grand Teton National Park: $30 to $35

Joshua Tree National Park: $25 to $30

Mount Rainier National Park: $25 to $30

Olympic National Park: $25 to $30

Rocky Mountain National Park: $30 to $35

Shenandoah National Park: $25 to $30

Yellowstone National Park: $30 to $35

Yosemite National Park: $30 to $35

Zion National Park: $30 to $35