Campers and bike riders heading to Hollister Hills and all other
state-owned parks this summer will see a jump in fees to access the
areas starting July 1.
Campers and bike riders heading to Hollister Hills and all other state-owned parks this summer will see a jump in fees to access the areas starting July 1.
The California Department of Parks and Recreation released a statement Monday about the climbing admission fees, which are expected to raise $900,000 to help maintain the parks. The day use fee at each State Vehicular Recreation Area will increase from $4 to $5 per vehicle. Camping will increase from $6 to $10 per night, and annual passes will increase from $40 to $50.
Dan Dungy, district superintendent of Hollister Hills, said the $4 fee has been nominal and he doesn’t think the increase will have an effect on visitors.
“To be honest it will probably be easier for riders to pay the $5 because then they won’t have to stick the extra dollar back in their wallets,” he said.
Dungy also said $10 a night for camping is still some of the cheapest camping in the state.
“When you think about how much visitors have already invested with gas to get out here and camping food, the extra $4 doesn’t seem like much,” he said.
Daphne Greene, deputy director of the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division of California State Parks, said in a press release Monday “Visitation at the State’s Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Areas continues to increase at record numbers, and as a result the cost of taking care of these facilities has gone up as well.”
Roy Stearns, deputy director of communications, said visitation of the recreational parks, like Hollister Hills has gone up 20 percent in the past five years.
“The number of people visiting the parks has just been exploding and along with that comes a lot of wear and tear on the facilities,” he said.
Pat Jackson of Watsonville makes the drive to Hollister Hills every other week to ride his motorcycles. He said it’s about time they raise the fees.
“I’m wondering what took them so long in the first place,” he said. “I mean for $4 you could pull a long trailer with as many people and bikes as you could fit on it.”
The increase will also help offset a $15 million reduction in the department’s general fund budget set to take affect the same day the fees go up.
