Colorado Parks and Wildlife launches $15 daily parks pass for vehicles with out-of-state plates
Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Friday began charging vehicles with out-of-state license plates $15 per day to enter state parks, a fee approved by the Parks and Wildlife Commission and aligned with pricing used in other states.
The new fee builds on CPW's earlier reminders about daily vehicle pass changes, which raised the standard daily rate from $9 to $10 starting January 1, 2026.
© iStock - Solovyova.
The new daily fee took effect May 1 and applies only to vehicles displaying non-Colorado plates. The Parks and Wildlife Commission recently approved the rate, which mirrors the tiered pricing structure CPW already uses on several other products.
Options for vehicles with Colorado plates remain unchanged. Residents can purchase the annual Keep Colorado Wild pass for $29 through their vehicle registration, or pay $10 per day for a standard daily park pass.
An additional $2 fee applies at seven state parks for both resident and out-of-state vehicles: Chatfield, Elkhead Reservoir, Golden Gate Canyon, Pearl Lake, Stagecoach, State Forest and Steamboat Lake.
More information about parks passes is available at cpw.state.co.us/parks-passes.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is an enterprise agency that relies primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations. CPW manages 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres.
