USFS campground fees?

monkey44 wrote:

SDcampowneroperator wrote:

monkey44 wrote:
Not sure about national forests - but we had a 'day-use boat fee' PLUS camp fees on EACH DAY in one of the South Dakota state parks. We had no boat, came in only to stay the night, and leave the next day traveling.

Needless to say, we traveled fairly quickly out of South Dakota -- we also noticed the COE camp about a half mile away was full. The SD state park had about sixty sites, only seven campers. We had no trouble figuring out why.

State parks that add day-use fees to camping sites are shooting themselves in both feet.

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All South Dakota State Parks require an entry pass for use of the facility, whether a daily, weekly or annual. The usage pass and camping fees are higher for Custer State Park. but you get more, so you pay more.
Camping fees in SD State Parks are in addition to use fees, appropriately so. Our state is a 'user pay' state, so public users pay proportionately for that service and location.
SD State Parks are reknowned, even unequalled (even with Oregon? ) for value and quality.

Your camping fees are already higher than many states, then use fee on top. Either charge me a use fee, or a camp fee - not both every day. And, I've been camping all over this country for a lot of years - SD cg's are no better that many states that don't charge it. Texas, Oregon, Florida, Mass, to name a few.

SD gives a DAV discount to vets too, ONLY if state resident. Not to this DAV - and I don't recall excluding SD from my military protective activities when I was in the Navy.

I see why you're defending this - a SD camp owner - you will certainly see this differently than a camper or a veteran for that matter. But we didn't see anything special or unique in SD CGs that we can't find many other places without that added fee for campers.

Can't compare SD to Oregon -- Oregon gives every DAV - not just resident vets - ten days FREE camping every month. No state matches that generosity. And maybe not all should, but Oregon does it.

Not trying to wrassle you, just comparing apples to apples in different states and the way each charge fees. And SD at $6 day use fee is $180 a month extra. Don't expect long-term visits at that extra cost.

. An annual SD parks use pass is $ 18., higher for Custer State Park. SD parks do not allow long term use; there is a 14 day stay limit for a unit on any site. As I stated before, SD is a user pay state, meaning no special discounts for anyone that others pay higher for to subsidize the discounted. Our State parks are operationally self funded with no general fund monies .

Sigh.