DETROIT — Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has experienced years of record-busting visitation and a growing list of backlogged repairs. Starting next year, visitors will have to pay to get in.
Lakeshore staff announced Monday that they would start charging entrance fees on March 1. It will cost $5 for every person who walks, boats or bicycles in, or $10 for motorcycle or vehicle passes that cover entrance fees for everyone on board. Those passes will be good for seven days. Annual passes will cost $20.
Passes will get more expensive over the next two years, with the cost of annual passes rising to $30 in 2023 and $45 in 2024.
Pictured Rocks officials proposed enacting an entrance fee early this year. They say it will help pay for overdue maintenance projects like broken wastewater systems and leaking roofs. Park staffers previously told The Detroit News there was a $10 million backlog in maintenance.
The fees also will pay for new projects like hiring staff, improving trails, monitoring park resources and developing the area for future public use, park staff said Monday.
"The new fee will provide much-needed funding for park improvements," Pictured Rocks Superintendent David Horne said.
Starting Jan. 1, camping fees will increase from $20 to $25 per night per site at Little Beaver Lake, Twelvemile Beach and Hurricane River Campgrounds. Au Sable Lighthouse tours will be $5 per person.
It's unclear how much money the entrance fees will generate, said Susan Reece, the park's chief of interpretation and education.
Pictured Rocks has become increasingly popular over the last decade, when annual visits more than doubled from about 499,000 in 2010 to 1.2 million in 2020. More than 1.3 million have already visited this year, according to National Park statistics.
Fees are required in roughly 25% of the country's parks, historic places and monuments managed by the National Park Service. Annual entrance fees range from $35 to $70.
Annual passes that grant access to all federal recreation sites are $80, although there are discounts for groups like veterans, senior citizens, fourth-graders and people with disabilities.
Park staff are developing a plan for implementing the fees, Reece said. She said officials don't plan to install fee booths, but visitors will be able to pay the fees at visitor centers and online.
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Pictured Rocks fees
Starting March 1, 2022:
—Per person walk, bicycle or boat-in (good for 7 continuous days): $5
—Seven-day motorcycle pass: $10
—Seven-day vehicle pass: $10
—Annual pass (good for 12 months): $20
Starting Jan. 1, 2023:
—Per person walk, bicycle, or boat-in (good for 7 continuous days): $10
—Seven-day motorcycle pass: $15
—Seven-day vehicle pass: $20
—Annual pass: $30
Phase 3 effective Jan. 1, 2024:
—Per person walk, bicycle or boat-in (good for 7 continuous days): $15
—Seven-day motorcycle pass: $20
—Seven-day vehicle pass: $25
—Annual pass: $45
A vehicle pass covers entrance fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle. Children 15 and younger will be admitted free.
Commercial tour fee effective Jan. 1, 2023:
—Sedan (1-6 people): $25 plus the per-person rate
—Van (7-15 people): $40
—Mini-Bus (16-25 people): $40
—Motor coach (26 or more people): $100
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