National Park fees on the rise?

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

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Just in time for summer, there’s a new CNN article about the possibility of entry fee increases at national parks around the country. Suddenly this summer is starting to seem like a great time to enjoy the great outdoors and get in under the wire.

According to the piece, you’ll have to check with individual parks to get the scoop on increases. The fee increases aren’t set in stone yet because parks seem to be gauging the level of public outcry before finalizing them. This seems to be one of those occasions where complaining could be very effective.

Though I spent the whole article outraged at the prospect of national parks becoming less accessible, when it was pointed out that they’re still a whole lot cheaper than Disneyland, I felt a little bad too. Because it’s true, it still is more affordable, and though there’s less of a chance you’ll come home with mouse ears (and if you do, ew) and a cotton-candy hangover, national parks are magic kingdoms too.

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