Re: Campground fee $24??

Ok, I'll admit, this might be old news, but I just found out the fee is now $24. When did the $4 increase occur? I know even if they raised it to $50 they would still sell out, but sheesh, when is this going to stop? I've paid less for full hookup sites traveling throughout the southwest.

Anyone else disgusted by this?

Convert the existing extended, low density parking lots campgrounds to walk-in campgrounds:
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/camp4.htm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2011 07:50AM by szalkowski.

Seeing all the work that's done on those campgrounds and such, that $24 is damn cheap.

$24 is pretty high for a spot to park a car and pitch a tent in my book. If I am doing my calculations correctly, assuming full occupancy of all Valley campgrounds in summer. They are taking in $9,096 a day or $272,880 a month. That's for 379 campsites. So for June, July and August (which I assume are always fully booked) that's $818,640. Pretty good money for 3 months if you ask me.

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hotrod4x5
$24 is pretty high for a spot to park a car and pitch a tent in my book.

Sure, if all you got was a patch of dirt along side the highway out in the middle of nowhere.

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If I am doing my calculations correctly, assuming full occupancy of all Valley campgrounds in summer. They are taking in $9,096 a day or $272,880 a month. That's for 379 campsites. So for June, July and August (which I assume are always fully booked) that's $818,640. Pretty good money for 3 months if you ask me.

With, no doubt, over a million in expenses for that same time period, no, that's not pretty good money.

Hmmm, so maybe this website is wrong.

http://yosemitefun.com/yosemite_campground_summaries.htm

And a million dollars in expenses JUST for those three campgrounds? Spent on what?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2011 02:39PM by hotrod4x5.

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hotrod4x5
Hmmm, so maybe this website is wrong.

http://yosemitefun.com/yosemite_campground_summaries.htm

And a million dollars in expenses JUST for those three campgrounds? Spent on what?

I would think a good deal of the cost would be for garbage, bathroom cleanup/supplies, water/sanitation, pothole repair, and ranger patrols. Then there's replacement of worn picnic tables and fire rings, although I'm not sure how often that happens. They also run regular bear patrols. I doubt they're making money off of the campgrounds.

Places like KOA charge over $25 night, although they've typically got sundry sales and other services that make up part of their income.

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y_p_w


Places like KOA charge over $25 night, although they've typically got sundry sales and other services that make up part of their income.

And they also have electricity, water and usually cable TV and wifi too.

At any rate, you all don't have to convince me that it's a bargain. I guess $24 is incorrect, not sure where that website owner (yosemitefun.com) got his info, he is usually pretty reliable.

And hey, those bear boxes aren't made by Coleman... aren't they like 15-20k apiece? One per campsite....

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AlmostThere
And hey, those bear boxes aren't made by Coleman... aren't they like 15-20k apiece? One per campsite....

I don't think that much. It's just basic metal fabrication and probably doesn't cost more than $2K a unit, and likely less in large quantities. I'm having some difficulty getting current prices, especially since most of the manufacturers don't have websites. The ones that do probably only negotiate their prices.

I also thought that many boxes were provided by grants from government and nonprofit sources.

I found the following from 1995:

http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/pdf/95231310.pdf

One price they listed were $765 plus shipping for a 23 cubic ft for a Hyd-A-Meal box. The quoted $435 each for the SecureStor locker made at Folsom Prison for the California Prison Industry Authority.

The Tahoe Bear Box Company sells McClintock's Bear-Saver. They listed a 2009 special on the RCE330G residential trash enclosure (big enough for 3 30-gallon cans) at $1250.

This article says that the particular boxes installed cost about $1100 each:

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/10/more-bear-boxes-installed-grand-teton-national-park-campgrounds7111

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hotrod4x5
And a million dollars in expenses JUST for those three campgrounds? Spent on what?

Are you assuming that us park rangers work for free? Are you assuming there is no trash pick up? Are you assuming there is no maintenance? Why assume so much?

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hotrod4x5
Hmmm, so maybe this website is wrong.

http://yosemitefun.com/yosemite_campground_summaries.htm

I will email this guy and let him know of the error on the site about campground prices.

I'm not surprised. Private campgrounds generally charge more, although they typically come with more amenities.

Some of the (federal) Tahoe campgrounds charge more. Fallen Leaf Campground is $28/night. They have premium rates ($30) around holidays, which require a 3 day minimum. However - they do have coin-op showers. I remember it was 75 cents for 3 minutes with no way to increase the time. You learn to take a shower quickly that way. While it is a Forest Service campground, they've also contracted with a private management company that operates it.

Must be new news because my campsite at Lower Pines just reserved 1/15 for late May was $20/night......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2011 02:31PM by mtn man.

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mtn man
Must be new news because my campsites at Lower Pines just reserved 1/15 for late May were $20/night......

I'm still seeing $20/night for all reservable single sites. Wawona is less during the walk-in season though.

http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Crane_Flat/r/campgroundFees.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70930
http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Lower_Pines/r/campgroundFees.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70928
http://www.recreation.gov/camping/North_Pines_Ca/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70927
http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Upper_Pines_Ca/r/campgroundFees.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70925
http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Tuolumne_Meadows/r/campgroundFees.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70926
http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Wawona_Ca/r/campgroundFees.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70924

Still - I've seen **free** at some NPS campgrounds. Flamingo Campground at Everglades NP was free when I drove through trying to turn around. Of course that was during the "wet season" in late summer. It was nasty hot, terribly humid, rained a lot (although not while I was there), and carried the risk of a hurricane blasting through. And the mosquitoes there are relentless. In Yosemite they might be tough because they're programmed to breed quickly before the end of summer. Over there it's just so many of them, and they work fast. I had one land on my t-shirt sleeve, and before I could squash it, the sucker bit me right through the fabric.

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y_p_w
.... And the mosquitoes there are relentless. In Yosemite they might be tough because they're programmed to breed quickly before the end of summer. Over there it's just so many of them, and they work fast. I had one land on my t-shirt sleeve, and before I could squash it, the sucker bit me right through the fabric.

Hey! You're not supposed to be feeding the wild life.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2011 04:42PM by Dave.

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Dave

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y_p_w
.... And the mosquitoes there are relentless. In Yosemite they might be tough because they're programmed to breed quickly before the end of summer. Over there it's just so many of them, and they work fast. I had one land on my t-shirt sleeve, and before I could squash it, the sucker bit me right through the fabric.

Hey! You're not supposed to be feeding the wild life.

Well - I actually sent it back to its maker after it bit me. I was joking with a ranger later that I just "killed some wildlife" in the form of a mosquito. He joked back that it was OK because I was "just putting a food source back into the environment". I guess biting insects are such a problem there that the visitor center had a sign stating that bug spray must be applied outdoors. I guess they have a problem with the visitor center getting stunk up with fumes.

I know usually the rule is to not affect the wildlife, but I've heard one ranger at Grand Canyon NP tell us that we were perfectly welcome to harass the squirrels because they were totally aggressive at trying to get food.

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y_p_w
Well - I actually sent it back to its maker after it bit me. I was joking with a ranger later that I just "killed some wildlife" in the form of a mosquito. He joked back that it was OK because I was "just putting a food source back into the environment". I guess biting insects are such a problem there that the visitor center had a sign stating that bug spray must be applied outdoors. I guess they have a problem with the visitor center getting stunk up with fumes.

The way I heard it was that the visitors trying to escape the mosquitos would go in the Visitor Center and then apply the spray before they went out again. The people working there had to breathe that stuff all day. That can't be good.

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I know usually the rule is to not affect the wildlife, but I've heard one ranger at Grand Canyon NP tell us that we were perfectly welcome to harass the squirrels because they were totally aggressive at trying to get food.

Ah... those Fat Tailed Rats. I had one steal half a salami sandwich.

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Dave

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y_p_w
I know usually the rule is to not affect the wildlife, but I've heard one ranger at Grand Canyon NP tell us that we were perfectly welcome to harass the squirrels because they were totally aggressive at trying to get food.

Ah... those Fat Tailed Rats. I had one steal half a salami sandwich.

They were hitting up pretty much everyone at Cedar Ridge.

Still - I've seen some pretty aggressive squirrels at the base of the HD cables. I witnessed one going right for a partially unzippered pack until a bystander closed it up. The there are the marmots.....

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hotrod4x5
I've paid less for full hookup sites traveling throughout the southwest.

Anyone else disgusted by this?

That was the southwest, not yosemite.

Honestly, I guess I fall into the "I don't care because I don't use it category". Until they start charging for permits, I don't care and even that would be fair.

And the backpackers campgrounds are $5 per night per person. $24 for a drive up site in the valley is a deal. What do WW, TF, YC, and PF cost?

---

Old Dude

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mrcondron
What do WW, TF, YC, and PF cost?

Last time I stayed at YC it was $8 or $10.

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mrcondron
And the backpackers campgrounds are $5 per night per person. $24 for a drive up site in the valley is a deal. What do WW, TF, YC, and PF cost?

Not if you have more than 4. And you can't reserve.

BTW - I mentioned Forest Service campgrounds. The ones that I've seen run by California Land Management charge $5/night for more than one vehicle.

My camp reservations for a week in Upper Pines in June is $140...$20 a night.

i just ordered two sites in the valley a few days ago online, and they were $20 each.