Compulsory charges at CairnGorm Mountain ski car parks
GoogleCompulsory car parking charges have been introduced at the CairnGorm Mountain snowsports centre.
The £2 day rate for cars, £8 for minibuses and campervans and £25 season pass replace a voluntary scheme.
The operators of the site said donations were received for only one in 20 vehicles.
Three car parks at the centre are used by snowsports enthusiasts and also hillwalkers headed for the Munro, Cairn Gorm, and Cairngorm Plateau.
The charges, which started on Friday, will be reviewed in the autumn.
CairnGorm Mountain Ltd said its three car parks, which are located near Upper and Lower Coire Cas and the Ciste, were used by an average of 220,000 visitors a year.
The voluntary donation scheme had not raised enough funds to cover the upkeep of the car parks, near Aviemore, it added.
The company said money raised from the compulsory charges would be reinvested in the site, including a long-term plan for a 24-hour public toilet facility.
It said it was the last large car park in the area to bring in charges, and that it had consulted with Highland Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, Cairngorm National Park Authority and Highlands and Islands Enterprise on the fees.