Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will begin charging entrance fees to the park starting March 1, 2022. Camping and lighthouse tour fees were also increased in January 2022.
In 2021, a proposal to add an entrance fee and increased fees for camping and lighthouse tours was presented to the public for review and comment. Public comments collected via a park website over the summer were generally positive. Many people specifically supported using collected fees for park improvements directly related to visitor enjoyment, access, and health and safety, which is required by policy and law.
“The new fee will provide much-needed funding for park improvements,” National Lakeshore Superintendent David Horne said in a press release. “We were very thankful for the support we received during the public comment period.”
While basic park operations are funded by direct appropriations from Congress, the recreation use fees collected by the park are used to support ongoing maintenance of park facilities and new projects that directly enhance the visitor experience including maintaining and improving trails, campground facilities, visitor centers, monitoring park resources, and developing the area for future public use, as well as funding seasonal work positions.
The park maintains 63 front-country campsites, 14 backcountry camping areas, more than a dozen historic structures, 100 miles of trails, as well as roads, parking lots, restrooms, water systems, bridges, and 86 park buildings.
The new entrance fee will be phased in over a three-year period.
Phase 1 Effective March 1, 2022
Per person walk, bicycle, or boat-in (good for 7 continuous days): $5.00
Seven-day motorcycle pass: $10.00
Seven-day vehicle pass: $10.00
Pictured Rocks Annual Pass (good for 12 months): $20.00
Phase 2 Effective January 1, 2023
Per person walk, bicycle, or boat-in (good for 7 continuous days): $10.00
Seven-day motorcycle pass: $15.00
Seven-day vehicle pass: $20.00
Pictured Rocks Annual Pass (good for 12 months): $30.00
Phase 3 Effective January 1, 2024
Per person walk, bicycle, or boat-in (good for 7 continuous days): $15.00
Seven-day motorcycle pass: $20.00
Seven-day vehicle pass: $25.00
Pictured Rocks Annual Pass (good for 12 months): $45.00
A vehicle pass covers entrance fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle. Children aged 15 or under are admitted free.
Commercial Tour Fee Effective January 1, 2023
Sedan (1-6 Persons): $25.00 + Per Person Rate
Van (7-15 Persons): $40.00
Mini-Bus (16-25 Persons): $40.00
Motor Coach (26 Persons and up): $100.00
Effective January 1, 2022
Campground fees will increase from $20 to $25 per night per site at Little Beaver Lake, Twelvemile Beach, and Hurricane River Campgrounds. Au Sable Lighthouse tours will be $5 per person.
There are also several passes available that provide access to not just the park, but more than 2,000 federal parks and lands including national forests and wildlife refuges. Some of these passes are free, some are good for life, and others for certain time periods. They include the America the Beautiful Annual Interagency Pass; the Lifetime Senior Pass; the free Access Pass; the Military Annual Interagency Pass; and the free 4th Grade Every Kid Outdoors Annual Pass. These passes will also be made available to purchase or obtain when the visitor centers open later in 2022.
Note: The $20 pass is issued to a person. That person can be in any vehicle as long as they have the pass. And if that person is in a private vehicle (and not on a commercial tour) with 14 other people, they will all get in on that one pass. Children 15 and under are free.
Snowmobilers fall under the per person fee of $5 per person for a 7 continuous day pass.
But if a snowmobiler has a Pictured Rocks Annual Pass, they can use it to get themselves and 3 other adults in on that one pass. It will be the same for private boaters.
People will be able to pay their fee on-line via our website (www.nps.gov/piro), scanning a QR code that will be on park bulletin boards, and at the Munising Falls Visitor Center (starting in May 2022).
The National Park Service will have five entrance fee-free days in 2022:
Monday, January 17 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Saturday, April 16 – First Day of National Park Week
Thursday, August 4 – Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
Saturday, September 24 – National Public Lands Day
Friday, November 11 – Veterans Day
