On April 12, the National Park Service announced changes to entrance fees charged at 117 national parks.  

The changes will raise additional revenue to address the $11.6 billion in deferred maintenance across the system of 417 parks, historic and cultural sites, and monuments.  

The new fees come in response to public comments on a fee proposal released in October 2017. 

At Wright Brothers National Memorial, the entry fee will rise to $10, a $3 increase. The entry fee is paid for persons 16 years and older. Younger children are admitted free. The individual fee is good for seven consecutive days. 

An annual pass at Wright Brothers will increase to $35 and admits the passholder and three adults aged 16 and older. 

The new fees are effective June 1. 

Active duty military personnel are admitted free after showing military identification. 

And, with Every Kid in a Park Pass available to fourth graders and families, entry is free. 

On April 21, the start of National Park Week, entrance fees are waived at Wright Brothers National Memorial. Other entry fee free days remaining in 2018 are Aug. 19, National Aviation Day; Sept. 22, National Public Lands Day; Nov. 11, Veterans Day; and Dec. 17, 115th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight. 

Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site do not charge entry fees. 

All of the revenue from the fee increases remains in the National Park Service. Of the fees collected at Wright Brothers, 80 percent of the money will stay in the Outer Banks group of national parks. The remaining 20 percent is forwarded to the national system and the local group can compete for project funds from the 20 percent. 

The price of the annual America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass and Lifetime Senior Pass remains $80. 

Entrance fees collected by the National Park Service totaled $199 million in fiscal 2016. The NPS estimates that once fully implemented, the new fee structure will increase annual entrance fee revenue by about $60 million, states the media release. 

The new fees will remain in place until 2020. 

In addition, legislation was introduced on March 7, to address the national parks infrastructure backlog. The legislation would set up a fund for National Park Restoration within the U.S. Treasury and use up to $18 billion in revenue from energy produced on federal lands and waters.