HILO — Entrance fees at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will increase starting June 1.
The park’s per-vehicle fee will jump from $15 to $20 and the per-person fee — which bicyclists and pedestrians pay — is increasing from $8 to $10. The motorcycle fee will go up from $10 to $15 and the annual Tri-Park pass will remain $25 until 2017, when it will jump to $30. The per-vehicle fee is good for seven days.
The increases are part of a three-year incremental plan which will ultimately bump per-vehicle fees to $25 in 2017. Last year, that same fee was $10.
Additional revenue is funding improvement projects and upgrades at the park, as well as matching fees to what similar national parks on the mainland charge,” said Hawaii Volcanoes spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane.
For example, Yosemite National Park in California and Grand Canyon National Park — which Ferracane said offer similar amenities to Hawaii Volcanoes — each charge $30 per vehicle during the spring and summer months, online information shows.
Until last year, recreational fees hadn’t increased since 1997.
“Our fees don’t match what our sister parks charge on the mainland,” Ferracane said. “So this is a way to bring in some revenue we really need.”
The park offers a number of free entrance days throughout the year, Ferracane said. The park is next free on Aug. 1, in celebration of its 100th birthday.
New fees are also slated for all back-country and front-country campsites including Kulanaokuaiki Campground, and will be $10 per site per night. Entrance fees are also going up for commercial tour companies.