Daily vehicle pass fees could increase at a pair of popular state parks in the Denver area.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners recently heard proposals to add $2 to those passes at Chatfield and Golden Gate Canyon state parks. The extra charge would bring the daily vehicle pass to $12 at the two parks.

The price does not apply to annual or lifetime parks passholders, including those with the product CPW has pushed since launching in 2023: the Keep Colorado Wild Pass.

Chatfield Watershed Authority, the multi-agency organization monitoring the reservoir and surrounding drainages, presented the extra $2 for daily vehicle pass buyers as a “water quality fee.”

The $2 fee at Golden Gate Canyon State Park would go toward Gilpin County roads serving the park. For the same reason, Jackson County officials have also proposed an extra $2 for State Forest State Park.

A similar “water quality fee” is in place at Cherry Creek State Park, said Michael Daugherty, representing Chatfield Watershed Authority at the latest commissioners meeting.

“The members of the authority already have spent millions and millions on complying with these strict regulations and making sure they have state-of-the-art technology,” he said. “So this is just asking a little bit from the recreator to help contribute to that as well.”

Daugherty presented a list of multi-million-dollar projects being eyed, including channel stabilizations and wildfire mitigation. He said the extra fee could spell between $80,000-$100,000 in annual revenue.

Though, he recognized estimates are hard to pinpoint depending on Keep Colorado Wild Pass buy-in, potentially meaning fewer daily pass buyers.

At $29, the Keep Colorado Wild Pass grants drivers a year of access to state parks if they opt in when renewing a vehicle registration (the traditional annual pass is $80). CPW recently reported more than 1.5 million Coloradans opted to buy the pass in its first full year on sale.

While also recognizing the unpredictability of daily vehicle pass buyers in the years to come, the $2 increase at Golden Gate Canyon State Park could raise $60,000 in yearly revenue, Samuel Bower told CPW commissioners.

The Gilpin County administrative analyst said the money would help maintain county-managed roads running into the park: Gap and Crawford Gulch roads. Both roads reportedly combine for about $220,000 in annual maintenance costs.

A report to CPW commissioners estimated the extra $2 at State Forest State Park could generate more than $10,000 for road maintenance ever year. “Not a huge pile of money by any means,” Jackson County Commissioner Coby Corkle said.

But helpful, he told CPW commissioners: “It’s just a tough sell to the community to spend our road and bridge money on a park road where we have so many county roads with year-round (residents) on it.”

CPW commissioners could decide on the increases at their November meeting. If approved, the new prices would go into effect Jan. 1, 2025.