Starting Jan. 1, the BLM Monticello Field Office will increase Individual Special Recreation Permit fees charged for day use and backpacking at fee sites within the Cedar Mesa Special Recreation Management Area and expand the fee for hiking to archaeological sites in Butler Wash.
The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 authorizes the Bureau of Land Management to collect recreation fees and allows the BLM to keep the fee revenues at the local offices where they are collected.
In a Dec. 30 news release, the BLM said it uses the Cedar Mesa fee to provide services at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station, improve facilities and increase the ranger presence at archaeological sites and trailheads.
“These changes were authorized in the 2019 Cedar Mesa Business Plan, recommended by the Utah Recreation Resource Advisory Council on June 18, 2019,” the BLM said.
The fees do not apply to developed interpretive sites such as the Mule Canyon Kiva, the Butler Wash Interpretive Trail, the Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite, Salvation Knoll or Arch Canyon and do not affect dispersed camping within Cedar Mesa or the Butler Wash area, the BLM added.
There are no fees for mesa-top hiking, scenic driving, or OHV use on existing designated routes.
The fee schedule will affect in-canyon hiking and backpacking. A single fee will now be applied year-round rather than varying by season.
Fees for backpacking will be $15 per person per trip. Fees for a single day of use will be $5 per person per day.
The weeklong pass for day use will be $10 per person. The annual pass for day use will increase to $40 per vehicle per year, starting on the date of purchase For example, a family of four who hikes to see a cultural site will pay $20 per day. Visitors who plan to spend more than one day in the area, may purchase an annual pass for $40 which would cover everyone in the vehicle for up to 12 months from the date of purchase, no matter how many times they visit the area.
“This fee increase will allow the BLM to improve access and visitor services on public lands while providing essential protections for the cultural and natural resources that make this area so spectacular,” said Acting Monticello Field Manager Amber Denton Johnson.
