State Park Access Fees Lifted

Starting tomorrow, Tennesseans will no longer have to pay a three dollar per vehicle access fee to visit state parks.

Manger Kim Moore has worked at Cove Lake State Park for 18 years. He says he hopes the fee lift will draw more visitors and he expects a pocket of people will return after being angry that fees were implemented in some state parks in 2001.

“The majority of the people that were displeased with it, but yet paid for it still felt like they shouldn’t have to pay for something that their tax dollars were already going for, and plus it makes us consistent with every other state park across the state. There are 54 state parks and 23 of them, you had to pay an access fee in. Now there are 54 state parks and you can access them all the same.”

An increase of $924,000 to this year’s state budget is responsible for the dropping of the access fees.