The U.S. Forest Service is seeking public input about new fees and management proposals at Chimney Rock National Monument, a popular archaeological site and hiking location between Bayfield and Pagosa Springs.
Chimney Rock, off Colorado Highway 151, covers about 7 square miles and preserves 1,000-year-old Ancestral Puebloan homes and ceremonial buildings. With increased visitation at the site, the San Juan National Forest is considering a new vehicle fee to pay for capital improvements and operational changes.
“We are hoping the input we receive will be supportive of the proposal and will offer some validation to the efforts that went into developing it,” said Lorena Williams, San Juan National Forest spokeswoman. “We also hope the input will provide constructive criticism and/or suggestions for how the proposal could be improved.”
There is currently no entrance or access fee for hiking and parking at Chimney Rock, but a nonprofit, the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association, charges $12 to $16 per adult and $6 to $8 per child for site tours. Those fees have been used for site preservation.
The Forest Service proposal would replace the association’s fees and charge visitors $20 per vehicle or $10 per motorcycle, valid for five days. Discount and park passes recognized by the Forest Service – such as interagency, access, senior, military and fourth grade passes – would still be honored.
The national monument saw about 15,500 visitors in 2020, a 30% increase compared with 2019, Williams said.
The agency projected that the fees would generate between $80,000 and $95,000 in 2022, depending on visitation. The annual operational cost for the monument is $120,000, she said.
Under the proposal, about 95% of the revenue from the new fees would pay for Forest Service operations, cultural resource protection, visitor services and maintenance costs, according to a Forest Service news release.
The Forest Service would take over most site operations by hiring a dedicated seasonal workforce and part-time lead ranger. The employees would handle visitor information, facility maintenance, resource protection, shuttle transportation and other visitor services.
The Forest Service also aims to build a wheelchair-accessible concrete path to the amphitheater area, improve roads, construct shade structures and improve landscaping.
The proposed changes are in line with agency guidance, Recreation Enhancement Act parameters for fee collections, and management practices at comparable parks and monuments, according to the Forest Service news release.
Members of the public are invited to comment on the proposal by mail, online or in-person until Sept. 30.
Rangers will be available for questions and comments at the monument, or people can comment in-person at any San Juan National Forest office.
Online comments can be made by emailing paul.blackman@usda.gov or visiting https://bit.ly/3Al05om. https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput?Project=NP-2894
Mail-in comments should be directed to U.S. Forest Service, Chimney Fee Proposal at P.O. Box 310, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147.
smullane@durangoherald.com
