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News Release

New Annual Entrance Permit Structure for Larimer County's Parks and Open Spaces Begins in 2013

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Department: Natural Resources
Release Date: Jul 12, 2012

Contact Information:

Larimer County Natural Resources Department, (970) 679-4570

 The Larimer County Department of Natural Resources announces a new annual vehicle permit and new annual boating permit structure for 2013. Entrance/use permits are required for Horsetooth Reservoir, Carter Lake, Flatiron Reservoir, Pinewood Reservoir, Ramsay-Shockey Open Space, Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, and Hermit Park Open Space. 

 
The new annual entrance permits will be valid for an entire year from month of purchase, and will be transferable among vehicles within the same household. There will be two types of permits: a vehicle permit, and a vehicle-boat combination permit. The vehicle-boat combination permit applies to a vehicle pulling trailered water vessels regardless of the number of vessels on the trailer. There are not separate permit requirements for more than one vessel on a trailer, e.g., two jet skis on one trailer. Non-trailered, non-motorized, non-registered vessels such as canoes and kayaks will not require permits.  These new permits will be available for purchase in December, 2012, for the year starting January, 2013. 
 
Annual vehicle permits will cost $75.00 each for Larimer County residents, $95 each to out-of-county visitors, $45 each for seniors 65 and over (regardless of residency), or $10 each for disabled persons. 
 
Annual vehicle-boat combination permits will cost $150 each for Larimer County residents, $190 each to out-of-county visitors, $120 each for seniors 65 and over (regardless of residency), or $85 each for disabled persons. 
 
The current annual vehicle permit and annual boat permit are not transferable among vehicles, and are valid only for the calendar year, no matter when a permit is purchased. The current cost is $65 each for a Larimer County resident and $85 each for a non-resident. In early 2012, the department conducted an online survey where citizens could answer questions pertaining to the current fee structure. The majority of citizens answered in favor of an annual vehicle permit and annual boat permit that were both transferable and also valid from the date of purchase for an entire year. The Parks Advisory Board recommended approval of the new permits at its May, 2012, meeting; and the after a public hearing in June, the Board of County Commissioners approved the change. 

 To learn more about Larimer County’s parks and open spaces,
visit our website at www.larimer.org/naturalresources
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Comments: (3)

1. Posted by: *beth.price.311 on Sep 27, 2012 7:50 PM

How did you come up with the rate structure for this? Sort of turns a day at the park into an activity for the economically elite only. How about a nice gravel parking lot w/o all the hooplah? Wouldn't give the Parks Dept. much to ADMINISTER, but it would provide basically the same amenity at nearly zero cost.

2. Posted by: davidk on Nov 10, 2012 3:17 PM

Having moved here from a state that does not charge an entrance fee for state parks, I am a bit in shock that your county parks charge MORE than an Interagency Pass that will get me in to any national park and most Forest Service sites requiring an entrance fee. While you have a beautiful county, it does not offer anything better than a national park and is not worth the money. As mentioned below, if the goal is to weed out everyone who is on a limited budget, your county has done a great job of discriminating against those of us who don't make a ton of money such as teachers...

3. Posted by: *chris.nugent.735 on Nov 17, 2012 1:01 PM

You know what? I support both the new permit structure AND the increase in costs 100%. Seventy-five dollars is not asking too much to cover a year's worth (!) of play on the many open space trails and waterways offered in the county. $75 divided by 12 months= $6.25 a month. That's nearly the price of a McDonald's value meal. If you visit once a month, it's a savings of .75 as opposed to paying the daily fee of $7.00 every time you visit. Not only that, Larimer County's open space restrooms are BY FAR cleaner than any City Of Fort Collins public restroom I've seen. I see park rangers hiking the trails and patrolling by vehicle. I've seen them clean up the trash and abandoned couches left on the side of Dixon Dam. I've seen them relocate rattlesnakes off a trail in Horsetooth Mtn. Open Space and aid injured hikers. It's worth it. The view and scenery is worth it. To get my kids out in the fresh air and get them some exercise is worth it.