A Peak Peek From Old Rag
Will Cost Hikers
By Victoria Benning
Washington Post Staff Writer
December 12, 1995
The breathtaking views that bring thousands of hikers to Old Rag Mountain each year will come with a price tag in 1996.
To ease crowding and help maintain the area's beauty, Shenandoah National Park officials plan to charge visitors $3 to $5 each. The number of people allowed to hike the majestic mountain initially will be limited to those arriving in the 200 cars that can be accommodated in the parking areas.
People 16 and older will pay for permits that will be required to hike on the mountain on weekends and holidays during the peak season from April through October, park officials said yesterday.
Some hikers say they support the fees, so long as they are not used to discourage park use.
"We're in favor of hikers paying their fair share," said David Lillard, president of the American Hiking Society. "We realize it costs money to make these resources available. . . . At the same time, we don't want hiking to become an elitist activity. Hiking is one of the few things that transcends race, economics and cultural barriers."
Lillard, whose group represents affiliated organizations with 500,000 members, recognizes that there were problems with crowding at Old Rag. He said it had been at least five years since he has hiked the mountain.
About 100,000 hikers visit Old Rag each year. The large numbers of them, some of whom have created shortcuts between trails, damage plants and the land, park officials said. Residents who live in the Old Rag area complain of noise, congestion, illegally parked cars and unruly hikers.
In October, the National Park Service imple mented a permit system that admitted hikers to the park on a first-come, first-served basis. As the park's parking lot filled, hikers were to be turned away or directed to other trails in the park. There was no cost for the permits.
The plan has been successful, park officials said, but the fees are needed to implement the restrictions permanently. The money will pay for items such as staffing, parking, toilets and trail patrols.
"If we're going to do this on a recurring basis, it's going to require a fair amount of staffing, and we can't do that without additional revenue," said Vaughn Baker, assistant park superintendent.
The 200-car parking lot capacity was not reached any weekend during October, so no one was turned away from hiking Old Rag. October is usually the best time for viewing fall foliage, and it's not unusual to see as many as 900 hikers on the 3,268-foot mountain on a peak weekend day.
Baker said publicity about the new restrictions and "crummy weather" nearly every Saturday in October kept crowds down this year.
The fees are subject to change because of legislation pending in Congress, but officials are confident they will be $3 to $5. Park officials will develop a final management plan this winter, and the public will have an opportunity to express its views on the proposal.
The Park Service plans to begin charging the fee in the spring. Like the free permits, the new passes will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Old Rag plan is not without precedent. All national parks have entrance and camping fees. Baker said he did not know of any other national parks that charge hiking fees.
Currently, visitors who enter the park at the entrances to Skyline Drive pay $3, Baker said. The hiking fee would be in addition to that.
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