Va. St parks and pet fee
Do all of the Va state parks charge $5 for each pet?
Forum Discussion
We don't spend our tourism dollars in Virginia for this very reason. If I'm going to pay and extra $20 per weekend just for my dogs, then either I'm going to leave their 'presents' for the park staff to clean up (since I'm paying for it already anyway) or I'll go to another state park where they don't try to drive off all pet owners because a few are irresponsible. Since we always clean up after my pets we opt for the later each time we pick a destination for our trips.
That said, if Virginia is honestly not attempting to keep pet owners away with this fee, then they should instead charge a dirty site penalty after the fact for those who leave messy sites (including dirty diapers in the fire rings, trash, etc.) just as car rental agencies and hotels do. To stay at the park you have to leave a credit card number or a cash deposit that will be returned to you once your site has been verified clean.
- R
That said, if Virginia is honestly not attempting to keep pet owners away with this fee, then they should instead charge a dirty site penalty after the fact for those who leave messy sites (including dirty diapers in the fire rings, trash, etc.) just as car rental agencies and hotels do. To stay at the park you have to leave a credit card number or a cash deposit that will be returned to you once your site has been verified clean.
- R
