FREE NO MORE: Proposed changes mean fee for rugged national park hikes in Colorado

Many of those seeking to reach the bottom of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison pick either the Tomichi route , the Gunnison route, or the Warner route, all of which travel from the South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park near Montrose to the canyon floor. Currently, doing so requires a free wilderness permit that can be obtained from the South Rim Visitor Center on a highly-limited first-come, first-serve basis, given out only on the day of the hike. That may not be the case for much longer.

Among a number of proposed changes at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is adding a cost to these permits, also making them available only on the Internet.

RELATED: Find a write-up of our trip to the bottom of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison here .

The proposed wilderness permit fee for using any of these routes to access the canyon floor would be $6 with an additional $4 per person that's listed on the permit. The cap of persons per permit would be four. A park pass is also required.

Additionally, the proposal includes shifting the way people acquire permits from in-person and on-site to online, via Recreation.gov . This means that advance planning will be needed.

If approved, the changes would go into effect in January of 2025.

It's worth noting that the routes that these permits apply to are difficult and dangerous, with rescue in the canyon extremely difficult. Even getting a call out for help is hard, with those entering the canyon told that self-rescue may be required. As it currently stands, only 42 people can climb all three routes combined each day, with the most restricted route being the Tomichi Route given its 8-person daily capacity. Most visitors to the national park would not be impacted by these fees.

The National Park Service is currently accepting public comments on the proposed changes through July 29. Learn more about that here .

RELATED: Find a write-up of our trip to the bottom of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison here .

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