BoR to Charge for Glen Canyon Tours

Starting Jan. 5, 2009, the Bureau of Reclamation (BoR) will charge a fee for the popular guided tour of the amazing Glen Canyon Dam and powerplant.

While visitors will be allowed to roam the dam's Carl Hayden Visitor Center for free, the one-hour guided tour will carry a maximum fee of $5 for adults, with reduced rates for senior citizens, children, military personnel, and school groups. According to BoR, the fees are needed to help offset the rising costs of guide pay, display upkeep and powerplant security.

Since BoR finally started counting heads in 1986, more than 15.4 million people have toured Glen Canyon, one of the largest hydroelectric power facilities in the country, serving clean and renewable energy to more than 5.8 million customers.

The newly paying customers will get their money's worth, witnessing work now being done to upgrade the eight original, 46-ton generating units that have been in service since the powerplant went online in 1964. The work is expected to continue through 2014.

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