would you pay $41 to enter a National Park?

[tsetsaf]

I am calling BS on this story. Read it and the implication is that folks would be okay with an 80% increase in entrance fees if it ensured they would see a bear Article

[noe-place]

Makes my free national parks pass look even better.

[Justus4]

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.

[monkey44]

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.

[Weeluvdis]

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.

[pnichols]

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.

[Jim_Shoe]

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".

[monkey44]

johntank wrote:

tsetsaf wrote:
I am calling BS on this story. Read it and the implication is that folks would be okay with an 80% increase in entrance fees if it ensured they would see a bear Article

I too will say bs to it. The entrance fee is $25 for a 7 day pass not per day.

Not only that, most of the people that come often to NPs either have an annual pass, or a senior or disabled pass, so raising the fees does not effect those folks. I believe a minority of the visitors will actually pay a 'day pass' ... either a week or annual.

[johntank]

tsetsaf wrote:
I am calling BS on this story. Read it and the implication is that folks would be okay with an 80% increase in entrance fees if it ensured they would see a bear Article

I too will say bs to it. The entrance fee is $25 for a 7 day pass not per day.

[Jim_Shoe]

To clear up a point. Mt. Rushmore itself is a national park and there is no charge if you have a parks pass. On foot, you can just walk in, and many people do, which is why there are cars parked in the grass along both sides of the road. The parking garage is a private facility built by residents of the Black Hills and they collect parking fees until its paid for. Which may be forever.
Crazy Horse, OTOH, is a private facility and does charge an admission fee to everyone. But they use part of the collected money to provide college scholarships to deserving Native Americans that live in the area.
Both Rushmore and Crazy Horse were carved in part, by Korczak Ziolkowski, who died in 1982. His wife, Ruth, continued his work and passed away herself recently. Three of their 10 children are now continuing the work.

[dahkota]

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.

[Pogoil]

I will get shot for this but here in my opinion. No senior discounts. Only discounts to our Veterans and disabled.

And yes I will pay any price to visit our parks. Yosemite is worth double or more than they charge.

Pogoil.

[Weeluvdis]

3oaks wrote:
If all the National Park fees and money raised inside of the parks stayed with the parks, there wouldn't be a need to raise the entrance fees and at the same time the parks would be better maintained. The biggest problem being that most of the money that the parks themselves generate goes back to Washington D.C. and squandered on other budget items. :M

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.

[down_home]

They started charging admission fees, into our Parks, as part of initial moves to privatize the Parks. I never kept any of the articles, in newspapers etc but I remember it.

The fees collected haven't increased spending. Congress still sets budgets.
I don't care what the concession Operators and friends say. It is reprehensible. We pay taxes to support OUR Parks and then we have to pay to get in. I remember going fishing somewhere, in Tn and couldn't because a Ranger was standing there. They wanted 3.00 to park and all I had was a credit card. I ahd driven 50 miles for nothing. We encountered an elderly lady and disabled daughter, at Yellowstone. They had managed the trip to the park but couldn't pay to get in. they must have not had Senior Passes back then. Admission was 20.00 I think.

[Tom_N]

chiefneon wrote:
Howdy!

We're in Colorado and visited Pikes Peck the other day. As you pull up to the gate entrance there is a large US Forest Service sign so I handed my National parks senior pass to the ranger. I was advised the pass was not excepted there. When I pointed out the sign to the ranger and stated it should be covered under the US Forest Service with my pass, I was advised the $24.00 ($12.00 per person) was a toll to us the roadway. I would think if it was a toll to use the roadway it should have been by the vehicle not by how many persons were inside the vehicle. Been to a lot of park across the country and first time we've been charged a toll fee to drive on the roadway.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon

Go to Mount Evans in Colorado. Mount Evans is higher than Pikes Peak and the road is paved all the way to the summit and it's FREE. Yes, I know the PP road is now paved.

[monkey44]

Yup, parking fees ... another way to scalp. Guess what, the parking fees go to the parking vendor, not to the parks. Only a license fee goes to the parks to operate the business.