Appropriate fees for wilderness day use: Pricing decisions for recreation on public land

An appropriate fee for the use of public lands strikes a balance between th e need for fee revenues, the desire to maintain access and other normative concerns: fairness, equity, others' ability to pay and congestion. Includin g these other concerns in pricing decisions improves the likelihood that fe es will be acceptable to users. Information was collected about wilderness visitors' maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for a day-use fee and the price they considered appropriate (AP). Sixty-two percent of Desolation Wildernes s day users stated a WTP greater than the AP. The cost of choosing a fee at the median AP ($2), rather than the revenue maximizing price ($), is a 30% reduction in revenue, while the gain is a smaller drop in participation (1 7% vs. 52%). Managers are faced with complex decisions about the purpose of fee programs. Alternative purposes will lead to alternative fee levels.