The cost for the thousands of people skiing or snowmobiling up on the Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area may go up next year.
The U.S. Forest Service proposed increasing both the day pass fee and season pass fee for the first time since 2005. The day pass fee would go from $6 to $10. The season pass fee would go from $40 to $60.
The additional money would go to:
- Grooming and maintenance of the 119 trails
- More consistent plowing on the 5 parking lots
- Automated fee stations that accept credit cards
- Pay for rangers to be up there 7 days a week
Rangers told 9NEWS they ran the recreation area at a deficit for the past two seasons. Next season they would face a $60,000 deficit without the fee hike, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
District Ranger Bill Jackson said the cost for the White River National Forest and Vail Pass Task Force to manage the recreation area has gone up over the years. He explained rangers could only staff the area four days a week due to personnel costs. Jackson said the expenses of plowing and grooming went up as well, as equipment depreciated and more people enjoy the area. The number of visitors doubled in the past 15 years from 16,726 people in the 2002-2003 season to over 32,000 visitors in the 2017-2018 season, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Jackson said the White River National Forest was forced to pull money from other recreation funding accounts to keep Vail Pass maintained. He defended the proposed fee increase by saying it will help the recreation area stand on its own.
The White River National Forest wants public input on the fee increase. You can add your comment through April 14 at this link or on a comment card at fee stations.
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