Few opposing fee hike to visit American Fork Canyon

Of the 1.5 million people who pay to visit American Fork Canyon every year, odds are that only .001 percent have complained about a proposal that would double the canyon's entrance fee.

And that's rounding up.

There are only four days left to comment on the U.S. Forest Service's plan to increase the entrance fees to American Fork Canyon in 2008, but John Logan, district ranger for the Pleasant Grove Ranger District in the Uinta National Forest, isn't expecting a deluge of letters in these remaining hours. In the comment period so far, Logan says he's only received about 10 complaints about the proposal.

"We'll look at the flavor and the theme (of the letters received), but to me, right now, with 1.5 million visitors coming through the canyon, 12 or 15 or even 25 (complaints) is really insignificant," Logan said. "It almost seems like it's a non-issue."

For the first time since an entrance fee was added to the canyon in 1997, the Forest Service is proposing to increase the three-day pass fee from $3 to $6. Uinta National Forest spokeswoman Loyal Clark says the increase would likely be sufficient to sustain the forest for another 10 years without an increase, but the actual increase will depend on public response.

"Depending on the number of comments we receive and how substantial they are, we would go back and see if we would go ahead with the increase, or if it would be a more modest increase," Clark said. "We will take the public comments seriously."

Under the current proposal, the forest's $10 intermediate entrance pass to the canyon for 14 days will be eliminated. The annual pass will increase from $25 to $45. All but 5 percent of the money generated by the entrance fee goes to the Pleasant Grove Ranger District and the canyon, Clark said.

Fee increases have also been proposed for the Mirror Lake and Flaming Gorge areas.

An increase in funds would allow the Forest Service to update trail heads, picnic benches and campgrounds — some of which haven't been refurbished since they were built in the 1960s.

Although the comment period expires Sunday, Clark said the Forest Service will consider all of the comments it receives until the end of October. Comments can be mailed to the Pleasant Grove Ranger District at 390 N. 100 East, Pleasant Grove, UT, 84062, or submitted online at www.fs.fed.us/r4/uinta.

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