would you pay $41 to enter a National Park?

Greydog 1 wrote:
Yes it is a real shame to have our gov't rob us by the use of excess fees to these parks. We should do something about it. Until Congress acts,nothing will be done. The robbery will only get worse. And they don't even use a gun to do it with. We just drive up and sleepily hand over our money. What a gimmick.

Then don't go, if you feel you are getting robbed. It will make the park less crowded and more enjoyable for those of us who enjoy our parks and don't mind paying a fair price to visit. I do get tired of listening to people who spend 10's of thousands of dollars for an RV and then complain about spending a few bucks to visit some of the most beautiful and awe inspiring places on earth.

Guess what? It takes a lot of money to run these parks and keep them from being trampled by all the visitors that come. Try visiting some national or provincial parks in Canada if you want to experience high prices. Many of those parks must pay their own way, with receipts pretty much being their only income source, so they have to charge very high prices...and people still come.

Example (although not an RV example). permit fee for BWCA Wilderness in Minnesota is $16 for adult per trip (one trip can be two weeks or longer). The Adjacent Quetico Provincial Wilderness Park in Canada charges $21.50 per person Per day. A two week trip for two people: American side = $32. Canadian side = $602.

Unfortunately the parks cannot grow to accommodate the forever increasing population.
What else should be done to limit crowds in the busiest parks? Maybe a lottery?
Overcrowding does increase the costs.

Yes it is a real shame to have our gov't rob us by the use of excess fees to these parks. We should do something about it. Until Congress acts,nothing will be done. The robbery will only get worse. And they don't even use a gun to do it with. We just drive up and sleepily hand over our money. What a gimmick.

noe-place wrote:
Makes my free national parks pass look even better.

Just hope you get to keep it, and it actually works in the future.

Makes my free national parks pass look even better.

These are the fees for Banff National Park Canada.

A group of between two and seven people travelling in a single vehicle pays C$19.60 for a day's pass and $136.40 for an annual park pass. A day is defined as the day of entry, regardless of time of entry, until 4.00 p.m. the following day.

The problems with raising fees, where does it go? It usually does not help the park and its campers, it pays more salary for people, or gets taken to the general fund.

Privatizing the parks is by far the worst option, because then ANY raise in fees goes to the PROFIT of the vendor, it does not go to the park vendor permit to operate. And immediately upon a park becoming private operation, the push come to raise fees, lose discounts.

IF you ever had the original pass, it said on it "IS entitled to 50% off camping, and free access to the parks. THE new ATB pass changes the "entitled" to "MAY", a HUGE difference in definition.

Who pushed that thru? I'd be very curios to know. And, each time we went in, the ranger always asked us to 'exchange to the new pass' ... we refused and kept the old pass. Then, one day in a hotel my wallet was stolen, and the pass gone with it. Bummer, so now we have one that says "MAY" on it instead. Bummer again.

dahkota wrote:

Weeluvdis wrote:

Yep, several different employees at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park told us this. We decided to become "members" which basically gives them a donation that the Governement can't touch. $35 a year I believe. They said the Government takes ALOT of their money that is suppose to go to the parks. Remember less then a year ago the parks or some of them were closed, parks that us tax payers pay for.

Just an FYI, the GSMNP does not have entrance fees - the government cannot take the money if it doesn't exist. Chances are, you are a member of Friends of the Smokies or some similar organization. No, the government can't take their money, they are a non-profit. But, GSMNP doesn't get all of it either. Check their annual audit for what they spend on salaries, fund raising, etc. Of your $35, the park 'might' see $15. Better to drop it in a donation box in the park - then the park will actually get it.

Oh yes, I know there are no park entrance fee's. I have been there twice in the last year. I did also drop money in their donation box and I know that is just for them. The membership also helps them even if there is overhead. The money I am speaking of that the Government takes is the fund set up for the park that us tax payers pay. Just like many other funds, they take what they want and often don't pay it back. We got quite an education from a camp host in Cades Cove. I am not naïve and I believe everything he told us.

KJINTF wrote:
We still use the word "have" Wolf, Griz, Black, Elk, Moose, Turkey, Coyote, Deer, Eagles, Osprey, etc......

Not counting "etc.", you listed ten of Mother Nature's animals.

Well shucks ... we're about half as good right here being only a hop, skip, and jump from both surfing and silicon without having to make any long trips to Wyoming or Montana: We see five of Mother Nature's finest from your list right here on our property - Turkey, Coyote, Deer, Eagles, and Osprey. :B

Seriously ... some folks might want to consider getting older a bit faster so they can pay a decent entrance fee into our NPs. Generally we don't care much for camping with our RV inside the NPs. We just like to do drive-bys in our small RV taking pictures along the way. We much prefer boondock or commercial camping as close as possible outside them. The crowds are just plain too big in most of them nowadays to find open camping spots or to get close enough on foot to enjoy the sights.

BTW, that $41 average number can be reached if the survey only asked 2 people and one said "nothing" and the other said "$82". You can read all about it in a book written in 1954 titled "How to lie with statistics".