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N.J. to charge state park entrance fees again after three-year hiatus

July 1 marks the first time since 2020, the start of the pandemic, that visitors will have to pay to enter Batsto Village, Atsion Recreation Area, Washington Crossing, and 16 other parks or forests.

File: A family walks along Batsto Lake, part of Wharton State Forest, in Hammonton, N.J. The state plans to begin charging a $5 per car entrance fee at the Batsto visitor center starting July 1, 2024, after a three-year hiatus.
File: A family walks along Batsto Lake, part of Wharton State Forest, in Hammonton, N.J. The state plans to begin charging a $5 per car entrance fee at the Batsto visitor center starting July 1, 2024, after a three-year hiatus.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

In a few weeks, visitors pulling up to many of New Jersey’s state parks and forests will encounter something they’ve not experienced for a few years: entrance fees.

It marks the first time since 2020, the start of the pandemic, that visitors will have to pay to enter Batsto Village, Atsion Recreation Area, Washington Crossing, and 16 other parks or forests.

Fees range from $2 to $10, depending on the park and whether a visitor comes on foot or bike or by auto. Some fees are charged daily and some only on weekends.

The fees were revived under Gov. Phil Murphy’s budget for the 2025 fiscal year, which was adopted by the New Jersey Legislature and starts July 1 — when workers in booths will start collecting money from motorists and those walking in main entrances.

The fees were first suspended in 2021 for anyone showing a vaccination card. The suspension continued in 2022 and 2023 as part of a “tax holiday.”

However, there is still free access to hiking trails, such as at Wharton State Forest, the largest tract of land in the park system. Batsto and Atsion lie within Wharton.

State officials did not say why the fees were being brought back. The budget includes $264 million to support the parks; however, a good portion of that is going to major projects at the state’s two major urban state parks, Liberty State Park in Jersey City and the Garden State Greenway that runs through Essex and Hudson Counties, both in North Jersey.

New Jersey does offer a $50 annual State Park pass, but it does not cover camping fees or guarantee entry if a park is full. Senior citizens, aged 62 and over, and those with disabilities can apply for free admission and free parking, as well as a reduction in camping rates.