Trump Administration Plans to Charge $70 to Enter National Parks

The Trump administration plans to raise entrance fees at many of our prized national parks to $70 during peak season.  If this policy is implemented, public lands that should be affordable for all of us to enjoy will become a luxury for the rich.  

According to the proposal, entrances fees at the following parks will be increased to $70 during peak season:
Grand Canyon National Park
  • Acadia National Park
  • Arches National Park
  • Bryce Canyon National Park
  • Canyonlands National Park
  • Glacier National Park
  • Grand Canyon National Park
  • Grand Teton National Park
  • Joshua Tree National Park
  • Mount Ranier National Park
  • Olympic National Park
  • Rocky Mountain National Park
  • Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
  • Shenandoah National Park
  • Yellowstone National Park
  • Yosemite National Park
  • Zion National Park
The Trump administration claims the fee is necessary to pay for a maintenance backlog at our national parks, but the administration could instead ask Congress to increase the budget for the National Park Service.  As of today, the National Park Service budget only accounts for a fraction of one percent of our total national budget.  Paying for the current maintenance backlog by increasing the NPS budget would be as simple as closing tax loopholes for off shore corporations or the equivalent of buying a few fighter jets.  But raising the fee to $70 for anybody wishing to visit Yosemite or Joshua Tree National Parks sends a signal to the American public that only those that are well off deserve to enjoy the splendor of our natural treasures.  That is simply not fair and not what this country had in mind when it established our first national parks.


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