Hiking in Hawaii has risen in price by 50%: fees for visiting parks and trails are increasing

Visiting scenic parks and hiking trails in Hawaii may soon become a fee for tourists thanks to a bill being considered by state lawmakers. The measure would charge travelers a fee to purchase a license to visit a state park, forest, hiking trail, or other natural area in the state by introducing a visitor fee program.

The actual amount of the fee is being debated. While the Senate passed a version of the law that sets the fee at $50, the House Finance Committee last week removed the actual dollar amount. This was reported by travelandleisure.com.

"All I want, frankly, is to make travelers responsible and to be able to help pay for their impact. We get 9 to 10 million visitors a year, (but) we only have 1.4 million people living here. These 10 million travelers should help us preserve our environment," said Governor Josh Green.

The impetus for the fee was the fact that the number of out-of-state visitors has increased by 50% over the past decade. And these travelers are looking for more and more places that are in the middle of nowhere.

"It's not like it was 20 years ago when you would come with your family, visit maybe one or two famous beaches and go see Pearl Harbor. And that was it. Today, it's more like, "I saw this post on Instagram and there's a great rope swing, a coconut palm tree...". All these places that didn't have visitors, now they have visitors," said Congressman Sean Quinlan, who chairs the U.S. House Tourism Committee.

Most state parks in Hawaii are currently free, but some require reservations and fees. Last year, Diamond Head State Monument on the island of Oahu introduced a reservation system for out-of-state visitors, hoping to reduce the number of tourists. The park entrance fee is $5 per person and $10 per car.