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Aug 17, 2024:
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Fee Resumption
Valles Caldera National Preserve » Fee Resumption » Document List
Valles Caldera National Preserve is seeking public comment on the proposed resumption of entrance fees at the park. Resumption of an entrance fee would provide additional and much needed financial resources to address the park's maintenance backlog, public safety concerns, and provide funding for visitor service-related projects to enhance the overall visitor experience. If approved, the resumption of entrance fees would take effect on January 1, 2025; fishing permits and associated fees would be eliminated.
Entrance fees were originally suspended in 2017 due to the lack of basic infrastructure and other visitor services beyond the existing entrance station, and the park used the intervening period to improve visitor-related infrastructure and develop new interpretive media and programming. For example, roads have been greatly improved, all visitors can drive four miles into the park to the historic cabin district, pedestrian access points have been added at seven locations along the park boundary, and a new backcountry vehicle system has been implemented. Valles Caldera also established a junior ranger program and is offering more than 100 in-park programs, including winter skiing and snowshoeing programs on 16 miles of groomed trails, fly-fishing clinics, ranger-guided hikes, night sky events, and seasonal special events. And over the next year, the park will begin construction on new parking areas, public EV charging stations, new interpretive trails and signage, and a major new exhibit in the park ranger station.
• While basic park operations are funded by direct appropriations from Congress, the recreation use fees collected by the park are used to support new projects and the ongoing maintenance of park facilities that directly enhance the visitor experience.
The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) is the legislation that allows the park to collect entrance and amenity fees. This law allows parks like Valles Caldera National Preserve to retain 100 percent of the fees collected in park for use on projects that address deferred maintenance and directly enhance the experience of park visitors.
As park revenue increases some of the projects funded through the collection of entrance fees include:
• Hiking Trail Repairs and Improvements: Many hiking trail repair projects are funded by recreation fee monies, such as repairing washed out sections of trail, the installation of water diversion bars, downed tree clearing, and the installation of vault toilets at heavily used trailheads.
• Interpretative Media and Programming: Park entrance fees will allow the park to enhance park visitor understanding through installation of park interpretative media, exhibits, and signs. Will also expand ranger guided experiences.
• Wildlife Management: Park entrance fees can help keep wildlife wild at Valles Caldera National Preserve. Fee dollars can purchase wildlife resistant garbage cans, recycling bins, and dumpsters. Your recreation fees also help support visitor education programs focused on wildlife.
• Restoration of Historic Buildings: Park entrance fees can help with the restoration, stabilization, and preservation of historic structures in the park. Completion of these steps will allow the park to continue preserving and interpreting the 20th century ranching history at Valles Caldera.
• Hazard Tree Mitigation: The park is among many areas along the Rocky Mountains where trees have been dying from a beetle epidemic. Recreation fee monies can fund mitigation of hazard trees in or near developed areas and other popular park facilities, parking lots, road corridors, housing areas and visitor centers.
Public engagement is an important part of the park's planning process. Valles Caldera National Preserve is accepting public comments on the proposed resumption of entrance fees. Please submit all comments via PEPC.
Under the National Park Service Fee Structure, Valles Caldera National Preserve falls under Group 2 for Entrance Fees and Tier 4 for Commercial Fees.
Proposed Entrance Fees:
Annual Park Entrance Pass - $45.00 - Per private vehicle with passengers; motorcycle with passengers, or family group on bicycles. (Valid for 1 year from date of purchase.)
Park Entrance Pass - $25.00 - Per private vehicle including passengers. (Valid for 1-7 days from date of purchase.)
Park Entrance Pass - $20.00 - Per motorcycle including passengers. (Valid for 1-7 days from date of purchase.)
Per Person Entrance Pass - $15.00 - Visitors 16 years of age or older who enter on foot, bicycle, or boat; maximum fee of $25 for family group. (Valid for 1-7 days from date of purchase.)
Commercial groups utilizing the park have a different entrance fee structure.
Proposed Commercial Entrance Fees, all valid for 1 day from date of purchase.
• Car (1-6 Person Capacity) - $25.00 + $10.00 Per Person (up to a maximum of $40.00)
• Van (7-25 Person Capacity) - $40.00
• Motor coach (26+ Person Capacity) - $100.00
There are several passes which provide access to Federal lands which charge an entrance fee, including: the Interagency Annual; the Interagency Senior Annual; the Interagency Senior Lifetime; the free Interagency Military Annual; the free Interagency Military Lifetime; the free Interagency Access (Available for US citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities.); the free Interagency 4th Grade (Valid September 1st through August 31st of the following year; and the free Interagency Volunteer Pass (For volunteers with 250 or more service hours at any participating federal agencies). Information concerning the benefits of passes and how to obtain them is available at https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm.
All Federal passes will be honored at the park and can be obtained at the park and online. The proposed park Annual Pass will be available for purchase at the park and online.
Comments will not be accepted by fax, e-mail, or any other way than those specified above. Bulk comments in any format (hard copy or electronic) submitted on behalf of others will not be accepted. Please also note that your entire comment—including personal identifying information such as your address, phone number, and e-mail address—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Dave Krueger
Chief of Interpretation
(505) 412-0826
Entrance fees were originally suspended in 2017 due to the lack of basic infrastructure and other visitor services beyond the existing entrance station, and the park used the intervening period to improve visitor-related infrastructure and develop new interpretive media and programming. For example, roads have been greatly improved, all visitors can drive four miles into the park to the historic cabin district, pedestrian access points have been added at seven locations along the park boundary, and a new backcountry vehicle system has been implemented. Valles Caldera also established a junior ranger program and is offering more than 100 in-park programs, including winter skiing and snowshoeing programs on 16 miles of groomed trails, fly-fishing clinics, ranger-guided hikes, night sky events, and seasonal special events. And over the next year, the park will begin construction on new parking areas, public EV charging stations, new interpretive trails and signage, and a major new exhibit in the park ranger station.
• While basic park operations are funded by direct appropriations from Congress, the recreation use fees collected by the park are used to support new projects and the ongoing maintenance of park facilities that directly enhance the visitor experience.
The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) is the legislation that allows the park to collect entrance and amenity fees. This law allows parks like Valles Caldera National Preserve to retain 100 percent of the fees collected in park for use on projects that address deferred maintenance and directly enhance the experience of park visitors.
As park revenue increases some of the projects funded through the collection of entrance fees include:
• Hiking Trail Repairs and Improvements: Many hiking trail repair projects are funded by recreation fee monies, such as repairing washed out sections of trail, the installation of water diversion bars, downed tree clearing, and the installation of vault toilets at heavily used trailheads.
• Interpretative Media and Programming: Park entrance fees will allow the park to enhance park visitor understanding through installation of park interpretative media, exhibits, and signs. Will also expand ranger guided experiences.
• Wildlife Management: Park entrance fees can help keep wildlife wild at Valles Caldera National Preserve. Fee dollars can purchase wildlife resistant garbage cans, recycling bins, and dumpsters. Your recreation fees also help support visitor education programs focused on wildlife.
• Restoration of Historic Buildings: Park entrance fees can help with the restoration, stabilization, and preservation of historic structures in the park. Completion of these steps will allow the park to continue preserving and interpreting the 20th century ranching history at Valles Caldera.
• Hazard Tree Mitigation: The park is among many areas along the Rocky Mountains where trees have been dying from a beetle epidemic. Recreation fee monies can fund mitigation of hazard trees in or near developed areas and other popular park facilities, parking lots, road corridors, housing areas and visitor centers.
Public engagement is an important part of the park's planning process. Valles Caldera National Preserve is accepting public comments on the proposed resumption of entrance fees. Please submit all comments via PEPC.
Under the National Park Service Fee Structure, Valles Caldera National Preserve falls under Group 2 for Entrance Fees and Tier 4 for Commercial Fees.
Proposed Entrance Fees:
Annual Park Entrance Pass - $45.00 - Per private vehicle with passengers; motorcycle with passengers, or family group on bicycles. (Valid for 1 year from date of purchase.)
Park Entrance Pass - $25.00 - Per private vehicle including passengers. (Valid for 1-7 days from date of purchase.)
Park Entrance Pass - $20.00 - Per motorcycle including passengers. (Valid for 1-7 days from date of purchase.)
Per Person Entrance Pass - $15.00 - Visitors 16 years of age or older who enter on foot, bicycle, or boat; maximum fee of $25 for family group. (Valid for 1-7 days from date of purchase.)
Commercial groups utilizing the park have a different entrance fee structure.
Proposed Commercial Entrance Fees, all valid for 1 day from date of purchase.
• Car (1-6 Person Capacity) - $25.00 + $10.00 Per Person (up to a maximum of $40.00)
• Van (7-25 Person Capacity) - $40.00
• Motor coach (26+ Person Capacity) - $100.00
There are several passes which provide access to Federal lands which charge an entrance fee, including: the Interagency Annual; the Interagency Senior Annual; the Interagency Senior Lifetime; the free Interagency Military Annual; the free Interagency Military Lifetime; the free Interagency Access (Available for US citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities.); the free Interagency 4th Grade (Valid September 1st through August 31st of the following year; and the free Interagency Volunteer Pass (For volunteers with 250 or more service hours at any participating federal agencies). Information concerning the benefits of passes and how to obtain them is available at https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm.
All Federal passes will be honored at the park and can be obtained at the park and online. The proposed park Annual Pass will be available for purchase at the park and online.
Comments will not be accepted by fax, e-mail, or any other way than those specified above. Bulk comments in any format (hard copy or electronic) submitted on behalf of others will not be accepted. Please also note that your entire comment—including personal identifying information such as your address, phone number, and e-mail address—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Contact Information
For clarifying questions or more information:Dave Krueger
Chief of Interpretation
(505) 412-0826