U.S. may start charging $70 for admission to Grand CanyonOctober 26, 2017 - 11:49 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The admission fee to visit some of America's most popular national parks could skyrocket to $70 as officials look for ways to shore up funding to repair billions of dollars in aging infrastructure, BuzzFeed News reports. The National Park Service announced the proposed fee hikes Tuesday, October 24. Under the plan, admission during "peak season" — or the busiest months of the year — at 17 parks would rise to $70 per vehicle. Motorcyclists would have to pay $50 to enter the parks, while people on foot or bikes would face $30 admission fees. The new admission pricing would apply to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, Grand Teton, and other popular parks, most of which are in the West. The prices represent a huge increase over what visitors to the parks currently pay. At the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and other parks, drivers now pay $30 per vehicle. Other parks are cheaper, such as Canyonlands, where drivers can enter for $25 and pedestrians for $10. Tuesday's proposed price increases comes after the Park Service raised the cost of the lifetime senior pass from $10 to $80. The new, higher fees are designed to increase revenue to the Park Service, which estimates it would bring in an additional $70 million per year. The money is "badly needed," the agency says, and would be used for "improvements to the aging infrastructure of national parks." "This includes roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, bathrooms, and other visitor services," the Park Service said in a statement. Photo. Mladen Antonov / AFP / Getty Images Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakh Foreign Minister arrives in Armenia Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu on Monday, March 18 arrived in Armenia for a two-day trip. Aliyev touts “good chances” for normalizing ties with Armenia Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has declared that there are “good chances” for normalizing relations with Armenia. Top Armenian, Indian defense officials discuss cooperation The discussions primarily focused on enhancing cooperation in the defence sector between Armenia and India. IDBank unveils three sad stories about fraudsters IDBank has unveiled three scenarios of card fraud that have been happening more and more often in Armenia. |