COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife is adding a $1 “high-use fee” to daily vehicle passes at six more state parks, including Lake Pueblo.
The new fee goes into effect Friday at the following parks:
- Lake Pueblo
- Golden Gate Canyon
- Staunton
- Castlewood Canyon
- Roxborough
- Highline
Admission to these parks will now be $10 per vehicle per day, including the fee.
Annual Colorado State Parks passes are available for $70 to $120, depending on the type of pass.
According to CPW, the high-use fee at these parks is necessary to mitigate the extra expenses and resource strain associated with a high level of use by visitors.
CPW says 2020 has been a year of record park visitation, record drownings, and increased protocols for COVID-19. Because of the record visitation, many of the high-use parks are in dire need of maintenance funds.
In a release on Thursday, CPW said the additional revenue will help with increased trash collection, increased resource damage, additional temporary staffing, additional wear-and-tear on facilities, and other expenses that were not offset by normal vehicle pass fees.
Cherry Creek, Chatfield, Boyd Lake, and Eldorado Canyon state parks already have high-use fees.
