New state park entrance licenses available soon

For individuals who plan to spend eight or more days and couples or families who plan to spend five or more days in South Dakota’s state parks, recreation areas or lakeside-use areas next year, it will be more cost effective to buy an annual park entrance license than to pay the daily entrance fees.

The 2010 annual licenses will be available for purchase beginning Oct. 1. They cost $28. The daily entrance fees are $4 per person (ages 11 and younger are free) and $6 per vehicle. Hence, eight visits for an individual would cost $32 and five visits for a group would cost $30, so it would be cheaper in both instances to by the annual license. There are some other special rates to consider at various locations, and you can read about those by clicking here.

The 2010 annual license will be valid from Oct. 1, 2009, through May 20, 2011. After buying one license, you can buy a license for a second vehicle at half price. The license covers the entrance fee only; camping and some other fees are extra.

Annual licenses can be purchased at park offices, by phone at (605) 773-3391 or online with a credit card via the "Shop GFP Online" link at http://www.sdparks.info/.