OKLAHOMA CITY — Entrance fees will be charged at nearly two dozen state parks starting next week, to finance deferred maintenance projects and park improvements.
The Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department announced it will launch a new parking pass program at 22 state parks, beginning June 15. Those include Great Plains State Park near Hobart in Kiowa County, on the eastern shore of Tom Steed Lake, and Fort Cobb State Park in Caddo County.
Funds raised from the passes will enable the state “to return park facilities and infrastructure to an acceptable standard and maintain them at that standard,” said Jerry Winchester, executive director of the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department.
It is important to keep Oklahoma’s state parks affordable “while providing the best possible experience for our visitors,” Winchester said.
Oklahoma’s parks attracted 9.47 million visitors from July 2019 through May 2020 – a 23% increase over the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, Tourism Department research indicates.
Great Plains park logged 161,556 visitors during the first 11 months of Fiscal Year 2020 (which ends June 30). That was 41,400 more visitors than were counted at the Kiowa County park in all of FY 2019, the Tourism Department reported.
ENTRANCE FEES VARY
“The need to implement this parking pass program was not made lightly, but it was a necessary step to help slow the deferred maintenance trend,” Winchester said. Improving the state parks “will also better position us to attract visitors from outside the state, which will bring dollars into the communities surrounding the parks.”
Admission fees will start at $10 for a one-day pass for a single vehicle. Vehicles with an Oklahoma or Oklahoma tribal license plate will receive a 20% discount, making their pass $8 per vehicle for a single day.
Entrance fees will be waived for Oklahoma residents age 62 and older and their spouses, for honorably discharged veterans. Individuals certified by state or federal law as totally disabled, and their spouses, will receive a 50% discount. Discounts cannot be combined, and an individual’s eligibility must be verified by park staff.
Annual passes will allow admission to all 22 state parks. An annual pass will cost $75 for out-of-state visitors, $60 for vehicles with an Oklahoma or an Oklahoma tribal license plate.
Three-day and one-week passes will be available. Buses will be charged a $25 per day fee regardless of license plate origin.
Free parking for one vehicle will be included in lodging and camping reservations at each park. State park golf courses and some concessionaire areas will be exempt from the parking fee, and some restaurants and other concessionaires may offer parking validation.
The parking pass requirement will be enforced 24/7 by park staff and park rangers, the Tourism Department advised. Vehicles without valid passes may be subject to warnings, violation notices, towing and/or other enforcement measures.
PARK IMPROVEMENTS HAVE ALREADY STARTED
“Our park staff have been making do for many years without adequate funding,” said State Parks Director Kris Marek. “We are excited about the improvements this program will provide and look forward to showing Oklahomans some of what we have in store for them in the coming months.”
Oklahoma State Parks has already begun projects associated with the new improvement effort, including the acquisition of cabins at Fort Cobb State Park, new or improved restaurant facilities at five parks, the acquisition and improvement of additional campsites at Little Sahara State Park, paving improvements at several parks, and the improvement and replacement of restroom facilities systemwide. These projects are only the beginning; many other improvements are in the planning/ contracting stage.
Last November, Winchester said the department needed an additional $40 million annually to improve and maintain park infrastructure, lodging and assets, including trails, swimming pools, parking lots, restrooms, boat ramps and more.
State Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, expressed “total dismay” about the entrance fee plan. “When you have a state-owned property that was originally paid for with tax dollars, I just do not see how the state can charge the same people who paid for it to now use this facility.”
State legislative appropriations for the Tourism Department declined from $25.9 million in Fiscal Year 2010 to $19.2 million in FY 2020, a reduction of almost 26%. The FY ’21 appropriation increased to $21.5 million.
SEVERAL WAYS TO PAY FOR PARKING FEES
Guests will have several ways to pay for parking, including:
• in advance online through a link from TravelOK.com.
• upon arrival via any smartphone by texting PARK to 504504. Guests will be text a link to make contactless payment via Apple Pay, Google Pay or any debit/credit card. For more information on text to pay, visit premiumparking.com/text-pay.
• through the Premium Parking app, which is available as a free download for iPhone and Android devices. To get the app, visit premiumparking.com/mobile-parking.
• via pay machines at park offices and at other locations around the participating parks. Machines will take credit/debit cards and cash but do not give change. Guests will need to enter their license plate number.
Answers to frequently asked questions about the parking pass program can be found at www.travelok.com/ state-parks/updates#state-park-parking-fees-info.