Zephyr Cove Charging $75 a night!

[Yosemite_Sam1]

This is a USFS land but managed exclusively by for profit concessionaire.

I felt this makes this campground out of reach by ordinary American and defeats the goals and reasons for having public lands for everyone's enjoyment.

[westernrvparkow]

Concessionaires pay for the rights to use the property. Those fees can be in the multiple millions of dollars per year for desirable locations. That $75 a night has to cover that rent, the utilities, the maintenance, the employees and make the concessionaire a profit because if there was no profit, no one would take on the responsibility and work.
Just because the land is publicly owned doesn't automatically mean whatever is operated on that land should be free. Airports are publicly owned and the airlines still charge you to fly on their planes. The hotdog vendor in Central Park shouldn't have to forgo profits just because Central Park is owned by the city. Even the land under the Twin Towers was publicly owned (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey) yet I don't think anyone feels the rents in the new One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower) should be free.

[BillyBob_Jim]

2oldman wrote:

time2roll wrote:
Seriously $75 a night is not excluding anybody that can afford to travel by RV.

Reminds me of that saying "An RVer is someone in a quarter-million dollar MH looking for a free place to park."

When camp hosting at state parks where the rates for FHU sites are @ $46+ per night on weekends, we heard quite a few complaints about the rates. Interestingly it was mostly older folks with the new DP class A's towing brand new toads, or the luxury model 45' 5'r being pulled by a $90K pickup doing most of the bitching. Last year one woman went out of her way to come over to the other side of the 300 site campground, and knock on my door at 10:30 PM, to voice her complaint that the coin op dryer was 25 cents more to use than the washing machine. I think she thought I was going to give her a quarter.

[2oldman]

time2roll wrote:
Seriously $75 a night is not excluding anybody that can afford to travel by RV.

Reminds me of that saying "An RVer is someone in a quarter-million dollar MH looking for a free place to park."

[time2roll]

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:

agesilaus wrote:
If you don't like their prices, then don't stay there.

Seriously, you don't see that we collectively own it as a public USFS and our taxes are paying for it's maintenance then we get hit by higher price for it's use?

Dude, it's not as simple as making choices in buying or using commercial services or products?

I see this as an opportunity to provide a small amount of additional money the USFS desperately needs in many areas. Taxes and funding are a bit light for the total needs of the USFS and National Parks.

Seriously $75 a night is not excluding anybody that can afford to travel by RV.

[Ski_Pro_3]

I'm all for jacked up prices as it keeps out the rif-raf. Remember cousin Eddie? And his dog, Snots? I'm hopin' $75 keeps 'em lookin' fer the cheap campsites.

[Jim2007]

Hi... That is the highest price for a spot that I know of. Price is what the market will bear... Jim2007.

[Yosemite_Sam1]

agesilaus wrote:
If you don't like their prices, then don't stay there.

Seriously, you don't see that we collectively own it as a public USFS and our taxes are paying for it's maintenance then we get hit by higher price for it's use?

Dude, it's not as simple as making choices in buying or using commercial services or products?

[PNW_Steve]

agesilaus wrote:
If you don't like their prices, then don't stay there.

I agree, I won't be staying there.

Seriously, Those are public lands. They should endeavor to keep them priced reasonably and accessible to the masses.

The most I have ever paid is $50. I do a lot of dry camping 🙂

[D_E_Bishop]

At one time a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the cafeteria in Yosemite Valley was $7.50. The park service instituted a rule that concessionaires could not charge prices higher than the areas around the parks. Taking that and running with it, they raised the accommodation fees to match equivalent resorts around the areas.

The price of a PB&J dropped to Zero, they were taken off the menus, the price for rooms went from reasonable to extremely high. Now things seemed to have leveled out and are closer to the surrounding areas but with adjustments for supply and demand. While the OP is talking about Forest Service lands vs NPS lands the ownership and rules are the near same for both Departments.

[Matt_Colie]

I was very personally ruined by the illegal abrogation. We could afford one of those high priced "resort" campgrounds if the excursion was only for one night and then home. As it is, I will continue to seek out less expensive locations. Yes, we paid a lot for the nights in Yellowstone, and at the Balloon Fiesta, but those were carefully planned and once in our lifetime events for us. We are never going to Key West.



Matt

[ppine]

Simple supply and demand.
I live about 1/2 hour from Lake Tahoe but never camp there. Too crowded.
Rates are going up. I will be paying $75 a night next week for the first time at some goofy resort with a bunch of friends. Not a place I would choose, but it will be fun to see the group. Will try to have an open mind.

I figured out a long time ago, most people do not have an RV to "save money." They have one because they like their own bedding, their own kitchen and privacy. We like to bring 3 dogs.

[BillyBob_Jim]

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:
This is a USFS land but managed exclusively by for profit concessionaire.

I felt this makes this campground out of reach by ordinary American and defeats the goals and reasons for having public lands for everyone's enjoyment.

Nothing new. Plenty of campgrounds on fed lands are operated by concessionaires be it USFS,ACOE,NPS,etc.

$75 sounds about right for full hook ups including cable in a facility labeled a "resort" in such a location.

What should it be $7.50 and subsidized by the taxpayer?

[agesilaus]

If you don't like their prices, then don't stay there.

[BarabooBob]

I worked in resort security for a couple of years. I will not stay at resorts or hotels unless I have no choice. Even if it cost me $25 more to camp you will find me in my camper. If you want to get totally grossed out, turn on a black light in your hotel room. Body fluids will glow under the black light. Most hotels do not wash the bed covers and blankets between guests, they only change the sheets. The walls, bed covers, carpets and even the ceiling will glow from someone else's wild weekend.
When I sleep in my TT, I know that the room is CLEAN.

[SidecarFlip]

said all along that the Super 8 is less plus you have clean sheets, hot shower and a continental breakfast. I'm not adverse to parking my unit in their parking lot and using their motel, did it before, will do it again. Not about to pay 75 bucks for the honor of camping within 20 feet of someone else anyway. I won't even pay 60 when the Super 8 averages 60 a night double occupancy.

Over 60, they can KMA.