Fees for National Parks Could Rise

Visiting Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks could be more expensive next year, if proposed fee increases are approved.

The News Tribune reports that the cost of a car could go from $15 to $25 -- up 67 percent. The fee proposal impacts 131 parks nationwide.

Mount Rainier superintendent Tracy Swartout told the Tribune that an annual pass could go from $30 to $50 and the charge for one person would jump from $5 to $12.

The increases could impact campgrounds, too. Swartout says campsites could go from $12 to $15 per night to "about $20."

In a memo obtained by The Denver Post, National Parks Service Director Jon Jarvis said the increases would let parks enhance visitor facilities and services as the Park Service's 2016 centennial celebration approaches.