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National park lands are not free to operate/manage. At least 109 National Park units charge a fee. Protecting our natural and cultural heritage and providing a safe, enjoyable, and educational place to visit requires substantial funding. Although your taxes help offset the costs of operating parks like Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, they do not cover all of the costs. As expenses to maintain and staff the parks rise each year, government funding is unable to keep up. The Recreational Fee Demonstration Program (Fee Demo) was instituted in 1997 and ended on December 31 2004. This “demonstration” program authorized 100% of the revenue generated by charging fees to be returned to the National Park Service, with 80% remaining at the site where it is collected and 20% to be used Servicewide at the Director's discretion. In 2005 the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act replaced the Fee Demo program and is the Congressional authority that is currently used by the National Park Service to collect fees. Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park has been collecting a daily or annual entrance fee from visitors since November 2019. This new Act has allowed visitors to use their "America the Beautiful" pass. This also allows all fees collected in the park to be spent in the park. The funds are used to accomplish projects that the park has been unable to fund through yearly Congressional allocations. 
NPS Photo Capitol Improvement Projects:
NPS Photo Interpretation and Visitor Use and Enjoyment
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Last updated: October 3, 2021