62°F
weather icon Partly Cloudy

Entrance fees to Lake Mead to rise

The entrance fee for Lake Mead National Recreation Area is increasing as part of a price hike for more than a hundred national parks.

Starting June 1, fees will rise $5. It will cost $25 for a private vehicle to enter Lake Mead, $20 for a motorcycle and $15 for individuals on foot, bicycle or horseback. The fee is valid for park entrance for seven days.

“Revenue from entrance fees has allowed us to address deferred maintenance and upgrade our campgrounds, extend our launch ramps and provide quality experiences for our visitors,” said Lizette Richardson, park superintendent for Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

In addition to daily fee increases, the cost of an annual Lake Mead park pass will rise $5 to $45. Camping and vessel fees will remain the same.

This year, Lake Mead used almost $2 million in fee revenue to improve the Boulder Beach Campground, making it RV compatible as well as replacing picnic tables, fire rings, grills and bathrooms. Several sites were also made fully accessible.

According to the National Park Service, the park will continue to use the extra revenue to improve its campgrounds and launch ramps as well as enhancing the visitor experience through more amenities, resource protection and programs and services.

There are 117 national parks that require a fee, all of which will increase by $5 on June 1. The 300 national parks that do not charge an entrance fee will remain free to enter.

The higher rates are expected to bring in $60 million more in income. In 2016, the park system collected $199 million in entrance fees.

Originally, the Park Service planned to double entrance fees during peak season for its highly visited parks, including Lake Mead. That was changed to a more modest increase for all parks annually in response to public comments.

According to the National Park Service, more than 1.5 billion visitors have come to national parks in the past five years, and that increased visitation has strained park roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, bathrooms and other services. In addition, it has led to a nationwide $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Henry Brean contributed to this story.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Community pride on full display

A mixture of lime, paint and water was used to touch up the city landmark, which saw the B first painted in 1985 and two years later the C by BCHS students. It had been 10 years since the last time it was touched up. Event organizer Bret Runion said he was pleased with the turnout and hopes to see even more assist in future years.

It’s official: STRs banned in BC

For an issue that has caused so much local uproar for more than a year, the question of whether Boulder City should formalize the informal-but-still-binding ban on short-term rentals (STR) within city limits ended with more of a whimper than a bang Tuesday as the City Council voted 4-1 to adopt text changes to city code clarifying that the practice is illegal and establishing a system of civil fines for STR owners who continue to operate.

A busy Saturday in Boulder City

Saturday proved to be a very busy day in Boulder City as events included repainting of the BC on Radar Mountain (see page 2 for photos), as well as the city’s Easter Egg Hunt at Wilbur Square, Flowfest and the popular goat yoga class at Bicentennial Park and the Injured Police Officers Fund car show at Veterans’ Memorial Park.

To chip or not to chip?

In its second time at the plate, as it were, the proposal by Boulder City Councilmember Cokie Booth to require that pets within BC be microchipped ended up with a lot of people talking about maybe taking a swing at the ball but no one actually doing so.

Council candidate slate set

A total of seven candidates for city council and three candidates for justice of the peace of Boulder Township will face off in the primary election scheduled for June 11.

Ultrarunner to push himself to the limit

It’s not uncommon for friends or even family members to try and best one another whether that be athletics, academics or relationships.

Vets home hit with 18 citations

In a recent unannounced inspection, the Southern Nevada State Veterans’ Home was cited 18 times for issues ranging from verbal abuse of a patient to failing to provide meals at an appropriate temperature, to employees not having keys to locked gates, which would be needed in the case of an emergency evacuation.

BDCU looks back on past year at annual meeting

For more than eight decades, the Boulder Dam Credit Union has been the most popular place for Boulder City residents to do their banking, not to mention see friends and neighbors.

Top o’ the evening to ya

Photos by Ron Eland/Boulder City Review

BC repaint: Countdown is on

It’s almost time to don that old pair of jeans, the ratty tennis shoes in the back of your closet and a shirt you’re not worried about ruining.