WASHINGTON (CNNMoney)
Seniors should pay more to access national parks, said one lawmaker during a House hearing Tuesday on forced budget cuts.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2013 04:15AM by eeek.
Should seniors pay more to access National Parks May 27, 2013 08:17PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,986 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks May 27, 2013 08:46PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,468 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks May 27, 2013 10:47PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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balzaccom
Really? That's the solution? Charge seniors more?
Ay ay ay.
I am all in favor of asking seniors to chip in and donate to the parks if they can afford it, but it seems to me that someone who has worked his/her whole life and is now retired ought to be able to enter a National Park at a reduced rate. Campsites and other activities still cost money...
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks May 28, 2013 04:17AM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,109 |
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plawrence
They should eliminate the $10 lifetime senior pass, and instead replace it with an annual $10 senior pass. An annual senior pass will still offer great savings to seniors who want to visit our national parks.
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks May 27, 2013 09:04PM | Moderator Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 2,321 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks May 28, 2013 02:13PM | Moderator Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 1,882 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 04, 2013 03:15PM | Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 48 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 04, 2013 04:22PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,109 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 04, 2013 05:10PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,986 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 04, 2013 09:23PM | Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 675 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 07:17AM | Moderator Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 7,421 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 09:18AM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,986 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 11:24AM | Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 931 |
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parklover
What gets me is people that don't want to pay the entrance fees so they go into a park early and leave late. Yes, we pay taxes but entrance fees are still needed to keep the parks running.
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 11:30AM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,109 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 11:54AM | Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 931 |
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eeek
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Ohnivy-Drak
Do they accept credit cards?
They usually do. But there have been times where their phone connection is down so they can't.
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 01:45PM | Moderator Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 7,421 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 01:50PM | Moderator Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 7,421 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 07:25PM | Moderator Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 1,634 |
All the entrance stations take credit/debit cards, and prefer to.Quote
Ohnivy-Drak
Thanks. I know this was probably a ridiculous question, but the Big Oak Flat entrance doesn't appear setup for electronic transactions. I've never tried paying via credit. All my fees and passes have been paid with Andrew Jacksons.
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 09:27PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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parklover
What gets me is people that don't want to pay the entrance fees so they go into a park early and leave late.
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 10:09PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,986 |
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plawrence
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parklover
What gets me is people that don't want to pay the entrance fees so they go into a park early and leave late.
The vast majority of people I know who arrive and leave Yosemite (either early or late) when there's no one manning the entrance stations do so because of logistics and scheduling requirements, not because they're trying to dodge any park fees.
Many people from the Bay Area like myself will arrive late to the park on Friday evening after the end of a long workweek and then during the summer will head back home after sunset on Sunday (which is after 8 PM during late spring and summer months). And many people who are staying in lodging outside the park will stay in the park to have dinner or catch one of the evening's interpretive programs. Why doesn't NPS man the entrance stations until 11PM on Friday nights or at least until 9PM on weekend nights? Instead, the entrance stations are usually closed down after 6:00 PM on most days. That's ridiculously early for a weekend day and especially for a Friday night. (Though on some Friday's I've actually seen them manned until 8:00 PM). But on Saturday and Sundays, the entrances stations are usually left unmanned after 6:00 PM.
I think the entrance stations should be manned – at the very least – from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM each day during spring and summer (and earlier and later on weekends). And during the time period that Tioga Pass is open, the Tioga Pass entrance should be manned all the time (24 hours a day) to prevent and discourage unauthorized commercial vehicles from entering the park and damaging the roadway. Through the years, I've seen countless of commercial vehicles bombing down Tioga Road late at night. I've seen this when I've travelled Tioga Road to go to and from the Eastern Sierra.
And by-the-way, I always get the annual $80 pass so personally it's a moot point for me if the entrance stations are manned or not since I already paid my fees. But don't accuse park visitors who have the sheer audacity to enter or leave Yosemite after 6:00 PM at night or before 7:30 AM in the morning of doing so just to avoid paying the park's entrance fees.
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Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 05, 2013 10:30PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 06, 2013 09:23AM | Moderator Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 1,882 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 07, 2013 11:09AM | Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 931 |
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plawrence
But I do think the Park Service is losing out on a large amount of revenue by simply not extending the hours that the entrance stations are manned, especially during the high visitation months.
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tomdisco
They are also losing a lot of money with their several "FREE WEEKENDS".
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 11, 2013 08:59AM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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Ohnivy-Drak
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plawrence
But I do think the Park Service is losing out on a large amount of revenue by simply not extending the hours that the entrance stations are manned, especially during the high visitation months.
Hours were extended during Memorial Day Weekend. I recall a long line at BOF for exiting, and it was well past 8:00pm. It must take a holiday or special event for the Park to consider it worth their time? And the majority of people have already paid going into the Park. Is there a decent amt of people that enter late?
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 11, 2013 10:57AM | Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 931 |
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plawrence
Well, I must applaud the Park Service for apparently extending the gate hours this year (at laest on Friday night). I arrived at Yosemite's Hwy 120 entrance last Friday night at 9:35 PM, and low and behold, the entrance station was still manned! Yeah!
Hope that the Park Service continues with the extended hours at their entrance stations at least during the busy summer months.
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 11, 2013 02:24PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,986 |
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Ohnivy-Drak
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plawrence
Well, I must applaud the Park Service for apparently extending the gate hours this year (at laest on Friday night). I arrived at Yosemite's Hwy 120 entrance last Friday night at 9:35 PM, and low and behold, the entrance station was still manned! Yeah!
Hope that the Park Service continues with the extended hours at their entrance stations at least during the busy summer months.
Impressive. They must be secretly trolling these boards for suggestions/comments. I recall a ranger responding to the criticism of the Big Meadow fire. 9:35 PM: gotta be a record. No one really wants to be stuck in those enclosures so late. At least I wouldn't.
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 12, 2013 01:26PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 06, 2013 06:04PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 157 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 06, 2013 06:08PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 157 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 07, 2013 11:33PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 141 |
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Mom
I'm with you on this. Europe has a system like this. Those holding EU passports get free or cheaper entrance fees to musuems, than those not holding an EU passport.
Hard to implement here where few people carry passports, though.
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 08, 2013 06:40AM | Moderator Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 1,634 |
Members of the US military can get a free annual pass at any entrance station. This pass gets them, for free, into any "national fee use" area. For more info click here.Quote
Dearborn
Prior to 07-20-1975, foreign visitors with valid passports were permitted free entry to the Nation's parks. The last I heard, active duty military on travel orders were permitted free entry - to transit the park - but I'm not certain if the practice is still in force.
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 12, 2013 11:03AM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 384 |
Re: Should seniors pay more to access National Parks June 12, 2013 12:31PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 141 |