Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Randy King has announced that the park will begin increasing park entrance and camping fees on May 22.

On Friday, the park’s single vehicle rate will increase from $15 to $20. This rate will increase again to $25 on May 27, 2016. Individual camping fees will increase to $20 on Friday and group sites will increase to $60 per night. These camping rates will not increase in 2016.

Mount Rainier became the fifth national park in 1899 and was the first to admit vehicles for a fee in 1907. Eighty years later, the cost for a one week visit to the park was raised from $2 to $5 per vehicle.  In 1996 the fee was increased to $10 and by 2006 it reached $15 where it has remained.

This fee provides entry for all occupants in a single vehicle for seven consecutive days. Entrance fees are not charged for holders of a variety of passes, including the Interagency Pass, the Military Pass and the Senior Pass. These passes may be purchased online or are available at Mount Rainier National Park when entrance booths are staffed.

The National Park Service fee program allows Mount Rainier to retain up to 80 percent of fees collected in the park, with the remaining 20 percent supporting national park units without fees. This revenue makes it possible for the park to provide many essential services, including repair and maintenance of visitor facilities, capital improvements, resource protection, and amenities. In addition, it supports park entrance, campground and wilderness information center staffing, and visitor information and brochures.

In recent years, fee funding at Mount Rainier has been used to augment the restoration of historic Paradise, build a new ranger and visitor contact station at Carbon River, and support an ongoing project to replace the electric power and telecommunication utilities serving Longmire and Paradise.  Fee revenue also supports trail, campground and picnic area repairs and improvements.