Fee increases approved for Black Canyon and Curecanti

The National Park Service (NPS) proposed this summer to charge fees for wilderness permits on the South Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and increase group campsite fees for Curecanti National Recreation Area. Park managers sought public comment on the fee changes in July. Comments were reviewed and the fee increase was approved in November. The proposed fee changes will take effect in January 2025.

NPS fee staff completed a fee compatibility study for wilderness permits and group campsites. The study demonstrated that comparable wilderness permit costs vary widely but are typically uniformly higher than current Black Canyon permits. Additionally, significant price increases have occurred at most comparable group campgrounds in recent years. The proposed fees would bring both parks into closer alignment with comparable wilderness permits and group campgrounds.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park changes: A permit is required for wilderness use at the park. All day and overnight use of Black Canyon’s South Rim wilderness routes, (Warner, Gunnison, and Tomichi) will be available for reservation on www.recreation.gov beginning in April 2025 for trips between May and October. Daily hiking quotas exist for each route. Red Rock Canyon is already on the reservation system. The wilderness permit fee will be $6 plus an additional $4 per person per permit. To minimize resource impacts and maintain wilderness character, wilderness use permits will be issued for no more than three nights and for a maximum group size of up to four people.

Wilderness permits will be available online only through www.recreation.gov for trips between May and October (not in-person at the Black Canyon Visitor Center). Advanced planning is needed. All permit holders will still be responsible for paying the park entrance fee. Permits for hiking wilderness routes off of the South Rim and at Red Rock Canyon from November through April will be available first-come, first-serve at the visitor center when open or by self-registration outside of visitor center when it is closed (no fee); same daily quotas apply.

Curecanti National Recreation Area changes: The Curecanti group campsite at East Elk Creek, which accommodates between 9 and 50 individuals, will have a nightly fee of $120. The smaller group campsite at Red Creek, which accommodates between 9 and 20 people, will have a nightly fee of $60.

The 2004 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) authorizes the National Park Service to charge fees for recreation amenities at national parks. The law requires that recreational fees are appropriate to the benefits and services provided, and comparable to fees charged by others in the local area for similar benefits and services. Eighty percent (80%) of the fees collected at Black Canyon and Curecanti will remain at the parks to fund projects such as the rehabilitation of trails, upgrades to campgrounds, and improvements to water, sewer, and solid waste systems. The remaining twenty percent (20%) will be utilized agency wide.