Fee increase slated for Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Increase to be effective Jan. 1

VANCOUVER — Visitors to the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site will experience a modest fee increase for entrance to the reconstructed Hudson’s Bay Company Fort Vancouver, effective January 1, 2019.

Currently, visitors to the reconstructed Fort site at the park pay a $7 individual fee for a seven-day pass, or $30 for an annual pass. Starting Jan. 1, 2019, those fees will increase to $10 for individuals for a seven-day pass, or $35 for an annual pass.

These increases are reflective of ongoing efforts to address aging park infrastructure and improve the visitor experience throughout park units in the National Park Service. Increases went into effect June 1, 2018, for 77 parks, including the 17 that were a part of the October 2017 proposal to implement peak season entrance fees. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is one of 33 parks that will increase their rates on a delayed schedule starting on Jan. 1, 2019.

“We appreciate that increasing our fee structure is a necessary accommodation to assist with the ongoing efforts to address the maintenance backlog throughout the national park system,” said Tracy Fortmann, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site superintendent. “Rest assured that we will utilize the extra funds earned from these entrance fees to improve the visitor experience and address the maintenance backlog at the park.”

Fort Vancouver uses entrance fees to invest in critical improvements that directly benefit visitors, including maintaining and enhancing visitor facilities.

The changes, which come in response to public comments on a fee proposal released in October 2017, will modestly increase entrance fees to raise additional revenue to address the $11.6 billion in deferred maintenance across the system of 418 parks, historic and cultural sites, and monuments.

Out of the 418 units in the National Park Service (NPS), 115 parks charge an entrance fee. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) allows the NPS to collect and retain revenue and requires that fee revenue be used to enhance the visitor experience. At least 80 percent of the money stays in the park where it is collected, and the other 20 percent is used to benefit parks that do not collect fees.