Dinosaur National Monument camping fees may increase soon
Dinosaur National Monument camping fees may soon increase for the first time in almost a decade.
Managers of the park proposed new camping fees today that would affect six campgrounds across the park — Deerlodge Park, Echo Park, Gates of Lodore, Green River, Rainbow Park, and the Echo Park and Split Mountain group sites.
Some campgrounds would see an increase to both the high season and offseason rates, while others would only see an increase to high season rate.
The last adjustment to camping fees was in 2016. While the park’s traffic in the last year was similar to the past decade, the cost of maintaining park facilities has reportedly risen over that time.
The National Park Service will collect public comment from this Wednesday to June 1 on the plan before increases are finalized. People can submit public comments on the park’s website or by emailing DINO_Fees@nps.gov with the subject line “proposed camping fees.”
Any changes would go into effect at the beginning of next year.
Construction on Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef National Park starts
Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef National Park is starting construction that is expected to go through the fall.
The first phase of the construction project, which aims to address wear-and-tear and improve parking lots, was slated to begin Monday morning, with Scenic Drive closed from south of Grand Wash Road to Capitol Gorge Road.
Then, on May 13, Scenic Drive will close south of the fee station near the Fruita Campground, which will block access to Pleasant Creek and South Draw Road. That second closure will last through the fall, when the construction project is set to be complete.
The Chimney Rock parking lot is scheduled to be closed in late summer, and partial closures of the visitors center are expected in the fall and early winter.
Most of the park will still be open during this time, park officials say.
