06:00 AM PDT on Thursday, October 6, 2005

Associated Press

BILLINGS, Montana -- Tourists will pay more to visit Western national parks such as Yellowstone next year.

A bull elk crosses a road, stopping traffic inside Yellowstone National Park.

Seventeen sites in the National Park Service's Intermountain Region, which covers eight states, will raise entrance fees in 2006, agency spokesman James Doyle said Monday.

The extra money will be earmarked for projects such as construction of restrooms or visitor centers and maintenance of interpretive programs.

Gate fees at Yellowstone haven't risen in nearly a decade, officials said. Under the plan, the cost of a weeklong vehicle pass there would rise to $25 from $20.

The increases, expected to take effect in May, are projected to generate about $1 million a year in additional funds at Yellowstone.

At Yellowstone, spokeswoman Cheryl Matthews said current fees have paid to reduce a maintenance backlog, improve trails and create better access for disabled visitors.

Other increases range from as little as $1 per person for weeklong passes in places such as New Mexico's Bandelier National Monument, to as much as $50 for annual passes in other areas, according to the regional Park Service document.

Park advocates say the agency still needs more money from Congress.

"What we don't want to do is price the national park experience out of anyone's lifestyle," said Tim Stevens of the National Parks Conservation Association. "But when you look at fees for places like Grand Canyon, you still get a lot of bang for your buck."

The Intermountain Region includes parks in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming