Guadalupe Mountains National Park, White Sands hike entrance fees, Carlsbad Caverns unchanged

Adrian Hedden | Carlsbad Current-Argus

It just got a little more costly to summit the highest point in Texas.

Visitors to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, home to the Guadalupe Peak which is the highest mountain peak in the Lone Star State, will see the entrance fee increase next year, as the National Park Service hopes to raise money to fund infrastructure upgrades at the park.

Starting on Jan. 1, 2020, the daily entrance fee will be increased to $10 per adult, read a news release from the National Park Service (NPS).

Funds received from the fees remain at the Service, read the release, with about 80 percent staying that park.

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Entrance fees are valid for seven consecutive days, and not charged to visitors younger than 16.

Annual passes will also grow to $35, but the American the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands annual pass, along with the Lifetime Senior Pass will remain at $80.

Access and annual passes for U.S. Military personnel will remain free.

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How will the money be used?

Revenue from the fees are collected under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to ensure recreation fees are reinvested to improve visitor experiences and services.

At Guadalupe Mountains, that means funding to upgrade campground amenities, install filtered water stations, and construct a picnic area at Frijole Ranch while replacing outdated signage and maintaining trails.

"Fees are used for a variety of park projects that improve and enhance visitor enjoyment and safety," read a statement from the NPS.

More: National Park Service looks to mitigate human impact on Carlsbad Caverns

The fee was last raised in March, which was the first time since 2003, when the daily entrance fee was raised from $5 to $7, while annual passes went from $20 to $30.

Public Information Officer Elizabeth Jackson said parks throughout the NPS are raising their fees, intending to address a nationwide backlog of infrastructure projects.

"This is in response to need all over the NPS," she said. "There is not any one particular project these funds would go to. It's just the overall backlog. It's just kind of a general need."

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Guadalupe Mountains is one of 165 NPS sites that charges a fee, the other 254 parks remained free to enter.

Jackson said revenue from the charging parks must be spread throughout the park system.

"A few parks are responsible for providing funding to all the parks," she said.

More: The descent: How Carlsbad Caverns National Park is rebuilding its elevators

Mescalero Apache hold blessing ceremony at Guadalupe Mountains The Mescalero Apache tribe journeyed from their reservation in south central New Mexico to the Guadalupe Mountains in Salt Flat, Texas.

White Sands

Fees were also increased at White Sands National Monument.

On Jan. 1, 2020, entrance fees to White Sands will be raised to $25 per vehicle, $15 per person and $20 per motorcycle.

An annual pass will cost $45.

Revenue from entrance fees helped rehabilitate the park's inaccessible Interdune Boardwalk Trail, along with porch pole restoration at the visitor center, and a complete rebuild of the parks's sewage system which dates back to the 1930s, per an NPS news release.

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"Park entrance fees have been used to update and repair the park’s picnic facilities, create exhibits for the visitor center museum, and facilitate park ranger-led public programs," the release read.

Major work ongoing at White Sands were an about $200,000 project to improve dune trails, along with an about $400,000 project to maintain the park's picnic shelters.

The park also spent $1.6 million to renovate the entrance station, and about $580,000 on new exhibits at the Visitor Center.

More: Top of the trails: 5 best day hikes within an hour of Carlsbad

Carlsbad Caverns

Entrance fees at Carlsbad Caverns National Park were raised in April, and Public Information Officer Micheal Larson said there is no plan to raise them again next year.

As of January 2019, entrance to the park was $15 per person, up from the previous fee of $12 per person.

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The added revenue was intended to update and replace 60 exhibits that are about 40 years old along the park road and inside the cavern.

Revenue from entrance fees was also used to pay for a project to modernize the park's primary and secondary elevator systems, which take visitors about 750 feet below the surface to Carlsbad Caverns' renowned rock formations.

“Entrance fees help us protect the cavern and provide quality visitor services and experiences for our visitors,” said Superintendent Doug Neighbor. “For example, fees funded the current project to modernize our primary elevators.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.