Visitor willingness to pay U.S. Forest Service recreation fees in New West rural mountain economies

This study evaluates visitors’ stated willingness to pay (WTP) to recreate at Colorado “Fourteeners”, peaks that rise above higher than 14,000 feet. The study also assesses the respondents’ willingness to pay an entrance fee, where 80% of the funds are used on-site, and self-reported response uncertainty about WTP for recreating at the Fourteeners and the fee increase.

Like prior papers from this six-year project (2006-2012), results indicate a high WTP to recreate on Colorado Fourteeners. Results also reveal that 62% of respondents are willing to incur an additional $20 fee to recreate at the site. Regardless of whether or not the respondent is willing to pay an additional fee for recreation, approximately 90% of respondents report a high level of certainty in their stated answers to both questions.

In other words, recreators exhibit clear preferences and low uncertainty in their willingness to pay for general cost increases, and localized access fees. Implications could have a complex effect on when, if and how fees should be applied in “New West” economies and lands that are reliant on revenues from recreation.