A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Forest Service can keep charging a $10 fee to drive the nation’s highest paved road.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that the Forest Service can charge the “amenity fee” to visitors who drive the Scenic Byway to the top of Mount Evans.
Mount Evans is part of the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests, and Congress has decreed that anyone may enter a national forest without charge. However, the three-judge panel unanimously concluded that the Forest Service can charge a fee at Mount Evans because some people use amenities, including a nature center.
The Forest Service says gate agents tell visitors they don’t have to pay if they don’t intend to stop their cars.
The Associated Press
