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User Fees Visitors to the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Area will be charged the following users fees:
Who Must Pay Fees? Fees apply to all users, 16 years of age and older, within the river canyon from the down-stream boundary of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument (2 miles upstream of the Chukar Put-In) down to, but not including, the Smith Fork confluence (10 miles downstream of the Chukar Put-In). There is no charge for private walk-in fishing or camping below the Smith Fork. Voluntary donations are encouraged and can be placed in the register tube located at the entrance kiosk. What About Commercial Clients? The user fees being charged by the BLM are in addition to any commercial company's advertised client charges for rafting and fishing in the Gorge. Fees for commercial clients will be collected by the commercial company prior to the trip. Visitors that use the jet boat, raft rental and/or guide services of the Gunnison River Pleasure Park in the four-mile section of the Gunnison River between the North Fork and Smith Fork confluences will also be charged user fees. How Will Fees Be Collected? Fees will be collected on site at the Chukar, Duncan, Bobcat, and Ute Trailheads. You will need to fill out information on a self-issuing permit form, deposit your money (personal checks or cash only) in the fee tube located at the trailhead, and carry the fee receipt with you while in the Gorge. Exact change is required. Charge cards are not accepted. BLM personnel will be stationed at the Chukar Trailhead and on patrol in the river corridor throughout the summer to assist users with fees and campsite registration. If I Spend Two Days In The Gorge, Do I Pay $5 For Camping The First Day And $3 For Day Use the Second Day? No. The $3 day use fee applies only to non-campers. All campers are charged the $5 per person per calendar day fee. If you spend the night, you would be there for 2 calendar days, therefore you would pay $10. Likewise, for the maximum allowable stay of 2 nights, you would be there for three calendar days and would have to pay $15. Do I Still Have To Sign The Trailhead Register If I Fill Out The Fee Envelope? Yes. Registration is mandatory for all day and overnight Gorge users and provides valuable visitor use information. Campers must also sign-in for a designated campsite. Visitors to the Chukar area will continue to sign the register at the river but will pay their fees at the trailhead. Please follow the directions for campsite registration provided at the trailhead kiosks and in the Chukar put-in register box. What If I Have An Annual Pass for Day Use? If you have an Annual Pass for Day Use, you still need to fill out the fee envelope user information section and write your pass number in the space provided. Be sure to carry your pass with you on each visit to the Gorge. You must also sign the register at the Duncan, Bobcat, or Ute trailheads or the Chukar register at the river put-in site. Annual passes are good for day use only (in and out the same calendar day) and cannot be applied toward camping fees. How Do I Get An Annual Pass For Day Use? You can purchase an annual "Day Use Only Pass" at the trailhead by filling out the user information on the fee envelope and depositing $15 per pass in the fee tube. Use the fee envelope receipt for that day in the Gorge. BLM will send your annual pass in the mail which will have a pass number that you will use for subsequent trips to the Gorge. Annual passes can be purchased at the Uncompahgre Field Office in Montrose and some local businesses in the Montrose and Delta areas. Please contact the BLM for more information. Annual passes are good only for the person named on the pass, and are non-transferable. Annual passes are valid for one year from the date of purchase. Annual passes can also be obtained via mail order (You can either print this ASCII text file from your browser, or save it to your hard drive and retrieve it into your word processing program - it is formatted for Courier 12pt. font). What's A Volunteer Pass? The BLM will be scheduling volunteer work days for anyone who would like to do four hours of volunteer work in the Gorge in exchange for an Annual Day Use Pass. Please contact the BLM for more information about volunteer passes. How Will Fees Collected In The Gorge Be Used? Fees collected here will be used for:
Why User Fees In The Gunnison Gorge? The Gunnison Gorge is being cared for today and preserved for future generations by the American people. This dual objective -- use and preservation -- comes at a price. Protecting our natural and cultural heritage while ensuring that everyone visiting these areas has a safe, enjoyable and educational experience cost money. Even as the number of visitors continues to climb due to the popularity of this national treasure, government funding available for necessities such as trail and facility repairs, maintenance, visitor protection, and other services has not kept pace with demand. In 1996, to address these needs, Congress directed the U.S. Department of the Interior to implement the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program in three of its agencies, the BLM, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The intent of the program is to help spread some of the costs for managing these lands among those who use them. The Gunnison Gorge is one of the original BLM fee demonstration pilot sites. The site was specifically chosen to test BLM's ability to collect fees and user acceptance of fees in a remote, high intensity use area. Why The Emphasis On Recreational Use Fees? Managing our public lands is a major financial investment. While most of that investment comes from the general tax base, those who use these areas for recreation derive a greater benefit from -- and place a greater burden on -- resources than the public at large. These new fees redistribute that burden so that users pay an increased share of the costs. We encourage you to participate in recreational activities; such experience will enhance your visit and create memories. But we also ask you to remember your role in keeping the outdoor recreational experience alive for others. What Will The National Fee Demonstration Program Do? The Recreation Fee Demonstration Program will:
America's Public Lands The future of these public lands rests with all American citizens. The actions we take today will reflect the price we are willing to pay to pass these lands on to future generations, protected and in better health. We need and welcome your support. How Can I Get Involved? Your input is needed to help the land managing agencies and Congress evaluate the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program and make the right decisions for the future. Please send your comments to the BLM's Uncompahgre Field Office or write your Congressman. You can also get involved in volunteer resource protection projects in the Gorge. Please contact us for details. Bureau of Land Management
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