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Parks director proposes camping and vehicle fee increases; seeks public meetings
Summary
Kansas State Parks director proposed ending the annual camping permit, raising nightly camping and vehicle fees, and streamlining seasonal camping; the department scheduled town halls and will return with formal regulatory language.
Kansas State Parks Director Connor O’Flanagan presented a package of fee changes and program adjustments intended to address rising utility and operational costs and to improve long‑term sustainability of the parks system.
O’Flanagan said utilities at state parks have risen sharply since 2016 and that a suite of fee changes is needed to close the gap. Key proposals presented to the commission included eliminating the long‑standing annual camping permit, increasing the standard overnight camping rate from $9 to $15, adjusting utility‑site prices (one‑, two‑ and three‑utility site increases), and raising the annual vehicle permit to $40 for out‑of‑state purchasers with a $10 DMV discount for in‑state registration (in‑state via DMV would be $30). He also proposed raising the 14‑night camping pass to $165 and streamlining the seasonal/long‑term camping program to a single tier.
O’Flanagan said Kansas is one of only two states that still offers the annual camping permit and that holders increasingly stay long enough that the discounted permit reduces park revenue; department staff estimated the annual camping permit program reduced revenue by roughly $1.86 million in 2024. He proposed eliminating the annual camping permit and keeping a 14‑night discounted permit and a reworked seasonal camping program. The department emphasized it would still offer discounted options for low‑income or senior users (senior/disabled daily vehicle rates and other discounts would be preserved under the proposal).
The commission did not vote on fees at the meeting. O’Flanagan said the department will hold public town halls to present the proposals and invited public feedback; two town‑hall meetings were announced for Sept. 3 (Hillsdale State Park) and Sept. 23 (El Dorado State Park). The department noted that any fee change with sufficient economic impact will require legislative ratification under state law and would follow the formal rulemaking and economic‑impact review process.
Commissioners asked for more detail on how changes would compare with nearby states, on seasonal campsite pricing and on the effect of fee caps and legislative approval. O’Flanagan and staff said they will return with formal regulatory language and an economic impact analysis.
