Mount Rainier National Park adjusts wilderness permit fees
ASHFORD, Wash. - Mount Rainier National Park has revised its wilderness permit fee structure for the first time in 26 years.
By the numbers:
The park will be moving from a flat $20 per trip to a $10 per person per night charge. The $6 fee for trips reserved through Recreation.gov remains unchanged.
Walk-up permits will incur the same per person, per night fees as those with advance reservations. Youth aged 15 and under can still access the park for free.
Park officials say the change aims to ensure fairness, as the previous flat fee structure resulted in smaller groups with less impact, and fewer used resources, paying higher costs individually, compared to larger groups with a greater impact on park resources.
What they're saying:
"These fees directly support the experience of wilderness permit holders," said park Superintendent Greg Dudgeon. "For instance, they support the work of rangers who patrol the park’s more than 270 miles of maintained trails; manage and transport backcountry users’ food caches; clean, service, and pack out accumulated waste from backcountry toilets; and ensure compliance with permits and regulations that protect park resources and the wilderness experience."
Wilderness permit reservation fees at Mount Rainier National Park have remained unchanged for 26 years, according to the park, with a Recreation.gov use fee added in 2021. The park issues nearly 7,000 wilderness and climbing permits annually.
For more information on wilderness permits, visit the Mount Rainier National Park website.
People hiking the Pinnacle Peak trail in Mount Rainier National Park with Mount Rainier in the background, Washington State, USA. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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