Visitors to the Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, California will pay a higher fee as rates will increase for the second time in two years.
The national park includes access to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse which can be seen on the peninsula from San Diego Bay. Other popular points of interest are the tidepool trail and the old military buildings along the edge of Point Loma.
Beginning Jan. 1, the National Parks Service will charge $20 per vehicle at the gate. Just last year, the single-day vehicle fee was increased by $5. In 2017, the fee per car was $10.
The cost for a vehicle single-day pass in 2015 was raised from $5 to $10 in November 2015. It was the first fee increase for the park since it began charging a fee in 1988.
Local
Cyclists and pedestrians will be charged $10, an increase from the 2018 rate of $7. In 2015, the fee per pedestrian and cyclist was $5.
Motorcycle riders will also be charged an additional $5 with their daily rate increasing from $10 to $15 in 2019.
Those opting to purchase an annual pass will pay $35 in 2019, up from the $30 annual pass fee in 2018.
Chief of Interpretation and Education Elizabeth Skinner said the additional fees will provide funds to be used for projects and activities to improve the experience of those visiting the park, according to a written statement.
She also said all of the revenue from the fee increases stay within the National Park Service with 80 percent of the revenue going to the Cabrillo National Monument.
A number of projects are currently in progress funded by the additional revenue from rate increases. They include the restoration of vegetation and repairs to the Bayside Trail, creating a new park film and documenting the oral history of WWII survivors as well as creating and putting in new educational materials for park visitors.
Skinner said there is also a project underway to preserve the pavement and restripe the parking area.
For those looking to visit without paying a fee, there are five days in 2019 that have been identified as "fee-free" days. They include:
- Jan. 21 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- April 20 – Start of National Park Week/National Junior Ranger Day
- August 25 – National Park Service Anniversary
- Sept. 28 – National Public Lands Day
- Nov. 11 – Veterans Day
Learn more about the Cabrillo National Monument here.
