Plan To Triple Fees For Mt. Rainier, Olympic Likely Scrapped

SEATTLE, WA - The Interior Department has walked back a plan that called for almost tripling fees at many national parks after an overwhelming public response, according to the Associated Press. More than 109,000 people expressed their opposition to the plan, which would have affected Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks. During peak summer season, fees would have risen to more than $70 per vehicle, $50 per motorcycle, and $30 per person on bike or foot.

Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke told the the AP that officials have "taken the public's suggestions seriously and have amended the plan to reflect those."

Zinke said the department still remains focused on addressing the $11 billion backlog in park maintenance. A Congressional bill would use revenues from energy production on federal land to cover those costs.

Other national parks that were included in the fee hike proposal include Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Denali, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion Acadia, Mount Rainier, Rocky Mountain, Shenandoah, and Joshua Tree.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Seattle Patch, click here to find your local Washington Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Image via National Park Service