The National Park Service has extended a public comment period on a plan to manage the backcountry areas of the Grand Canyon.
One of the most significant parts of the proposals is to have hikers who venture more than 5 miles down the most popular trails obtain a day-use permit and pay a minimum $5 fee.
The plan also addresses more remote areas of the park and relatively new recreation activities such as canyoneering, rim-to-rim excursions and backpacking trips that require short travel on the Colorado River.
The plan covers 1.1 million acres that make up the backcountry area, most of which are proposed for wilderness designation.
The public comment period now closes April 4.
