Daily parks pass fee to increase for Chatfield, Golden Gate Canyon, State Forest state parks
Kara Van Hoose
Dec. 30, 2024
Daily parks pass fee to increase for Chatfield, Golden Gate Canyon, State Forest state parks
DENVER — Fees for single day passes will increase by two dollars at three state parks, Chatfield, Golden Gate Canyon and State Forest, starting January 1, 2025. Daily passes at those parks will now cost $12 per visit.
At Chatfield, the two-dollar fee will go to the Chatfield Watershed Authority to help fund water quality projects in and upstream of the reservoir. The projects will primarily focus on reducing the amount of phosphorus and chlorophyll in the water. The fee increase was originally enacted through SB23-267 and approved by the Parks and Wildlife Commission during their November 2024 meeting.
The daily pass increase at Golden Gate Canyon and State Forest is a result of SB23-59, in which Gilpin and Jackson counties, respectively, will receive the two-dollar fee difference for road maintenance of county roads associated with access points into and out of the state parks.
The price of the Keep Colorado Wild pass will not be affected by this daily fee increase. Colorado residents can purchase the annual state parks pass for $29 while registering their vehicle.Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.