More on Mich state parks

[Jayco-noslide]

I don't know why my earlier post on Mich. state parks ripping off non-residents got closed so soon but I stand by my criticism. I can understand you residents wanting to defend your state parks but 1st off, we did plan and make reservations. But on the internet you can't tell if the sites are level or have a shared elec box or have no hard surface pad. We could have know the cost in advance but not that the sites aren't up to the $32 price. We camped at Holland SP, which was the best of the 3 but still basically a concrete parking lot with no water at the site. It was close to full. Next was Tachamenon Falls in the UP. About 30% full, with just fair, mostly grass sites with no water.Finally, Porcupine Mt. SP, about 25% full, had to change sites due to soggy, potentially muddy ground, not level, mixed grass/dirt surface. We've camped all over the country in state parks for 40 years. Yes, there is a lot of variation of quality but usually the price matches the quality better than in Mich. and most states do not charge an entrance fee on top of the camping fee,or if they do the total is usually closer to $25.

[wbwood]

JTHarley wrote:
Go ahead and try and reserve a waterfront site or just about any site in michigan in July/Aug........If guests are filling the parks, and the ones we go to are, then the price is just perfect for the market......If people stop coming than maybe the prices are too high.

Soooooo, if you don't want to come then there will be lines of people ready to take your site.

The same way I feel about a certain oceanfront rv park in SC that some don't like because its very busy and crowded. People can complain all they want and I hope more do actually because it may loosen up reservations some. Lol. I always defended the park. But I think going forward I will just tell them how much of a bad place it is and that they don't wanna go there. Lol

[JTHarley]

Go ahead and try and reserve a waterfront site or just about any site in michigan in July/Aug........If guests are filling the parks, and the ones we go to are, then the price is just perfect for the market......If people stop coming than maybe the prices are too high.

Soooooo, if you don't want to come then there will be lines of people ready to take your site.

[VE3ESN]

crimmps49 wrote:
Not sure what the OP is griping for, but a lot of State Parks charge out-of-state a little more, and most have entry fees for all. In WI we have an entrance fee that is cheaper for State residents since they pay the taxes to upkeep the parks. We stayed in the UP and it was such a beautiful area in the fall last year. Park was not busy, but was super clean and nice. We had no problem paying for our sites since it was a nice park. Sometimes I think there are those, not matter what things are, that just love to complain. Thank goodness we all have choices and the OP can go someplace else and no one will care!

New York State charges $5.00 for out-of-state campers which IMHO is very reasonable, considering that the parks are heavily subsidized by NY state taxpayers.

At Allegany SP for example, no complaints about $15/night for no hookups, $21 for 30 Amp, and $24 for 50 Amp, plus a small surcharge for weekends. Add $5 to each price listed for a non-resident, and you still have reasonable fees.

[wbwood]

nickthehunter wrote:
So he went to the UP and expected a level site - in the porcupine mountains no less. Well I guess he got a little geography lesson about the UP that he didn't know before - "The Porcupin Mountains are Not Flat". Just so you know for future reference, a lot of Michigan is not flat, especially the good parts.

Yeah, bu in his defense, there are a lot of mountain campgrounds with level sites.

[2gypsies1]

nickthehunter wrote:
So he went to the UP and expected a level site - in the porcupine mountains no less. Well I guess he got a little geography lesson about the UP that he didn't know before - "The Porcupin Mountains are Not Flat". Just so you know for future reference, a lot of Michigan is not flat, especially the good parts.

Ha...no excuse. There are plenty of level campsites in the western 'mountains' - Colorado, Utah, etc. - even in forest service and national park campgrounds.

[Dog_Folks]

westernrvparkowner wrote:

Jayco-noslide wrote:
I'm not going to beat a dead horse on my post but I will just add that I don't think enough people today complain about prices; especially younger folks. They just accept what's charged. I reserve the right to complain about the cost of a campsite relaive to it's condition(level,hook-ups,convenience, etc) even if it's just a few bucks.

From a business owner's point of view, people who complain about the prices are usually just whining. If enough people tell me they are not going to make a reservation or stay because of the price, eventually that may have an impact on my pricing decision if the occupancy suffers. Complain about the prices while you are reaching for your wallet, or if the park is running a good occupancy rate, and I am just going to consider you to be a old curmudgeon and give you a wide berth for the rest of your stay. Since there has been post after post about how the Michigan parks are running a high occupancy rate, it appears they have a pretty good handle on the prices.

For once I agree with Westernrvparkowner. If you don't like the price--It's easy...don't pay it. Move on down the road.

Nobody is forcing you.

[nickthehunter]

So he went to the UP and expected a level site - in the porcupine mountains no less. Well I guess he got a little geography lesson about the UP that he didn't know before - "The Porcupin Mountains are Not Flat". Just so you know for future reference, a lot of Michigan is not flat, especially the good parts.

[answerswillvary]

[winnietrey]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
I'm not going to beat a dead horse on my post but I will just add that I don't think enough people today complain about prices; especially younger folks. They just accept what's charged. I reserve the right to complain about the cost of a campsite relaive to it's condition(level,hook-ups,convenience, etc) even if it's just a few bucks.

What you are not getting is this: You feel ripped of becuase the site did not offer you all the things you had hoped for.

Those things are of value to you

But for us state park campers, the site is of little value to us, it is what the park has to offer that is of value.

If I were to judge Yellowstone, Based only on it's campsites, and it's entrance fees, I would feel it to be vastly over priced. But it's what Yellowstone gives you, the sights etc, that make it a bargin. I feel it is the same with state parks

[westernrvparkow]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
I'm not going to beat a dead horse on my post but I will just add that I don't think enough people today complain about prices; especially younger folks. They just accept what's charged. I reserve the right to complain about the cost of a campsite relaive to it's condition(level,hook-ups,convenience, etc) even if it's just a few bucks.

From a business owner's point of view, people who complain about the prices are usually just whining. If enough people tell me they are not going to make a reservation or stay because of the price, eventually that may have an impact on my pricing decision if the occupancy suffers. Complain about the prices while you are reaching for your wallet, or if the park is running a good occupancy rate, and I am just going to consider you to be a old curmudgeon and give you a wide berth for the rest of your stay. Since there has been post after post about how the Michigan parks are running a high occupancy rate, it appears they have a pretty good handle on the prices.

[EsoxLucius]

wbwood wrote:

EsoxLucius wrote:
The OP also has not offered which State Park system in the United States has park entrance fees which also cover camping fees. That, I think, is because they ain't any!

I don't think there was any question or mention as to an entrance fee covering camping.

It was alluded to in other posts by the OP. But maybe it's just my incorrect interpretation of what was said.

[wbwood]

travelnutz wrote:
wbwood,

The OP did complain about the entrance $30.50 fee in his original thread but you may have missed that as it isn't in this thread. It was in "General RVing Issues".

No I as that, but I never saw that he thought that the passport cost (entrance fee) to cover camping. I think he clearly stated it as two separate things. I think his complaint merely lies in the entrance fee and/or the higher cost for a non resident.

[MichDoc]

Well, I'm from Michigan and have stayed in State Parks most of my life. But to be honest, I've seen the quality of the parks go steadily down, and the price go steadily up. I've camped in most other states and found the vast majority either cheaper, or at least worth the added cost, but Michigan wants too much money for what it provides. I rarely camp at the state parks in Michigan any more, and I'm finding more and more people who feel the same way.

[travelnutz]

wbwood,

The OP did complain about the entrance $30.50 fee in his original thread but you may have missed that as it isn't in this thread. It was in "General RVing Issues".