Re: Entry Fee

Hi Guys and Gals

can anyone tell me if i was dreaming or if it was true, That not to long ago, less than 5 years or so, Entry into Yosemite was FREE if you walked in or cycled in. I read the entry fee board yesterday while in line, and noticed its now 15 if you walk in. The funny thing was we had two ladies with us yesterday and while in line on the 120 entrance to get in they decided to get out and walk to the bathroom just past the entry window, while the rest of us stayed in the car. I though for sure the rangers were going to stop them and ask each one to pay 15 dollars, but they didn't. So when we got up to the pay window i read the board and it did say if you walk in you pay 15.00. Another part of the story is that before we got to the pay station , we went on a hike to Carlon falls, clearly within park boundaries, but the trail head is not in the park, Guess the ranger must of had the day off because no one was at the boundary collecting fees. lol. ,

No, there has long been a fee for people on bikes or foot.

They should have the ranger that's posted at Donohue Pass to check the exit permits for JMT hikers also collect the $15 entrance fee for northbound PCT and JMT hikers.

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Leave No Trace

I believe the trailhead for Carlon falls is in the Stanislaus National Forest, while the trail goes the park.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/stanislaus/recarea/?recid=79362
http://www.yosemitehikes.com/hetch-hetchy/carlon-falls/carlon-falls.htm

Still in my head that i read somewhere if you walked in from the national forest into Yosemite that it was free. i guess i believed it because i didnt think they could enforce it. I must of been dreaming, thanks for the thoughts.

If you hike in from just about anywhere not on the road... it's free.

Any of a plethora of trails that enter the park you can enter without any fee whatsoever...

Quartz Mtn, Kibbie, Eleanor, PCT (lots o ways), Green, Virginia, Bloody, Isberg, etc. etc.

Purty much you hike on 140, 120, 41... you pay... otherwise... no pay.

Is that what you were looking for?

So, yes, you can enter via Carlon.

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chick-on
If you hike in from just about anywhere not on the road... it's free.

Any of a plethora of trails that enter the park you can enter without any fee whatsoever...

Quartz Mtn, Kibbie, Eleanor, PCT (lots o ways), Green, Virginia, Bloody, Isberg, etc. etc.

Purty much you hike on 140, 120, 41... you pay... otherwise... no pay.

Is that what you were looking for?

So, yes, you can enter via Carlon.

Thats most likely what i read. That if you hike in its free. So i just assumed that if you walk in thru any of the the regular entrances that it would be free also. Wonder how far off to the right or left of the actual entrance id have to be in order to not be walking in the actual entrance. LOL Anyway i have the annual card and have bought an annual card for the last 8 years so im not really worried about the 15 dollars, just bringing up conversation.

Loophole: Drive in after hours and leave after hours. No fee. Shhhh

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hotrod4x5
Loophole: Drive in after hours and leave after hours. No fee. Shhhh

No kidding.

I have an annual pass so it doesn't matter to me either way, but at times it seems that Yosemite only mans the entrance stations between 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM (and even less hours during the fall and winter). I wonder how much revenue the Park Service loses by not manning the entrance stations longer hours.

Personally, once they open up Tioga Road I think they ought to man the entrance gates 24/7. Not so much to collect additional revenue but to keep heaving commercial vehicles illegally driving on Tioga Road at night, causing damage to the roadway and endangering the wildlife.

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Leave No Trace

There's no real hard and fast rule on it. If you choose to arrive on foot at a designated entrance station while it's open, you will be charged. I'm not quite sure how you're supposed to line up though on foot or bicycle. Just wait in line with the cars? However, in practice they can check receipts (or passes) on the way out and I have been checked before. I'm not quite sure how that might work for someone entering on foot through a trailhead, but then exits through the road.

I looked at the superintendent's compendium of regulations and didn't see anything specific about entering after the entrance station closes or through a trailhead. It's probably not something they're terribly concerned with.

There are some NPS fee areas where the only entrance station is on foot. Muir Woods NM is set up that way. Zion NP has a parking lot at Zion Canyon for the peak season, where there's no driving past the entrance except for campground reservations, Zion Lodge reservations, and those with special needs. We entered on foot and took the shuttle. Being disabled isn't enough, as they say that unless one needs specialized equipment that can't go on the shuttle, even disabled people need to take the shuttle. I don't recall being checked for receipts on the way out. I actually went with my (senior) parents who had the senior pass that allowed four people together to enter. I wanted to return later on my own, and a ranger wrote up a temporary pass that allowed me to reenter on my own, good for a week.

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y_p_w
There's no real hard and fast rule on it. If you choose to arrive on foot at a designated entrance station while it's open, you will be charged. I'm not quite sure how you're supposed to line up though on foot or bicycle. Just wait in line with the cars? However, in practice they can check receipts (or passes) on the way out and I have been checked before. I'm not quite sure how that might work for someone entering on foot through a trailhead, but then exits through the road.

I looked at the superintendent's compendium of regulations and didn't see anything specific about entering after the entrance station closes or through a trailhead. It's probably not something they're terribly concerned with.

Obviously not. At times, they act like they're flush with money.

They need to decide if they really want to collect the entrance fee from hikers. If not, they should just eliminate the fee. But if they want to keep the fee, then they should make a greater effort to collect it.

It would be easy enough — at the very least using the honor system — to post a locked fee-box on a post at each trail entrance to Yosemite National Park that included a small box of fee envelopes with a metal sign informing hikers and backpackers of the walk-in fee.

It would be interesting to see how many hikers are honest and honorable enough to pay the required fee. As I had mentioned previously, the ranger they now have stationed at Donohue Pass on the JMT to check the backpacker's exit permits could also be authorized to collect the entrance fees of hikers and backpackers hiking into the park.

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Leave No Trace

Some NPS units have ways of paying that are sort of on the honor system. Death Valley doesn't have entrance stations. One can pay the fee at a visitor center or at an electronic kiosk at some parking lots. A pass is supposed to be displayed on the dash/window. On my first visit our group drove from an eastern entrance to Badwater, and there was no place to pay along the way. Also, the main road is a state highway, and a fee can't be charged to simply use the road. At Pinnacles we visited when the entrance station was being moved, so we paid St. the campground office. I've also been to some NPS units where the fee was so low that often NPS wouldn't even man the entrance station because it cost more than the fees to have anyone there.

I remember at Arches we arrived after the entrance station closed. They did have an electronic pay kiosk, with several options including annual and lifetime passes. We already had a pass, and I verified later that a pass holder should just go through. I wasn't sure how it worked if one bought a pass. I suppose it would issue a receipt that could be redeemed later when there were people.

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y_p_w
Some NPS units have ways of paying that are sort of on the honor system.

That's why I thought the honor system would work for hikers entering Yosemite. For first-come/first-serve campgrounds in Yosemite (except for Camp 4 and the first-come/first-served campsites at Tuolumne Meadows), one self-registers and pays the fees at unmanned fee box (located usually in the center of the campground). This is also done at most state beaches along the San Mateo Coast in the Bay Area. Similar fee boxes could be set up all the official hiking trails that enter Yosemite.

If hikers are required to pay a fee when entering Yosemite, there ought to be an easy way for them to do so.

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Leave No Trace

If you read the compendium of regulations, an entrance fee is to be charged at entrance stations. There's nothing specifically stating a use fee for Yosemite other than for camping. So technically hikers aren't subject to entrance fees while entering on trails. If they really wanted to I suppose they could have something set up. At Grand Teton we entered through this little used entrance, but they had a fee station near Teton Village (Jackson Hole Ski Mountain). It barely looked used, but they had a ranger there.

There's Goat Haunt at Glacier NP. It has light visitation, but they have a ranger station and even customs across the Canadian border.

I do recall decades ago there were people who got in by claiming that they only intended on going to the post office. The entrance fee was also $5.

I suppose the concern is whether or not the personnel to collect fees at lightly used foot entrances is a good use of resources. Even a lockbox costs money to service.

Just a thought if coming in 120 - Tioga Pass.
YARTS from Lee Vining to Tuolumne Meadows - (3x a day summer) - $3.

Kinda on/off the subject, I still believe that if you Have a current Drivers Licence in the State that a National Park or a State park is located in, your annual fee for those parks should be less. then if your just visiting. After all, generally if one has a drivers licence and lives in a state, they are paying taxes for the roads and such and already contribute indirectly to that Park, I live near Yosemite and and would love to pay less, but in about 4 weeks im going to Yellowstone for the first time, If i had to pay more than the locals do in Yellowstone i would understand. On the flip side, i guess since i use it more times than most visitors, maybe i should pay more???

I voted for the California State Parks funding initiative that would assess a vehicle registration fee, and grant state residents fee-free access to state parks. I suppose the only issue would be why have entrance fees at all if there aren't many out of state visitors, unless it's via a slotted lockbox.

I'm frankly not comfortable with our national parks being fee free for locals. We all pay for them. Yosemite has no roads paid for with state funds. The state highway ends at the border. I mentioned Death Valley, where there is a state highway crossing through the park. Around the time of the federal government shutdown, the operator of Furnace Creek Ranch/Inn made a big deal that they would be open and accessible since they were a private inholding and it was always free to use the highway if one didn't stop for any recreational purposes.

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MY HAPPY PLACE
Kinda on/off the subject, I still believe that if you Have a current Drivers Licence in the State that a National Park or a State park is located in, your annual fee for those parks should be less. then if your just visiting. After all, generally if one has a drivers licence and lives in a state, they are paying taxes for the roads and such and already contribute indirectly to that Park, I live near Yosemite and and would love to pay less, but in about 4 weeks im going to Yellowstone for the first time, If i had to pay more than the locals do in Yellowstone i would understand. On the flip side, i guess since i use it more times than most visitors, maybe i should pay more???

As YPW pointed our national parks are federally run and states don't contribute to the cost of running them. I feel differently than you do. Considering there is a $11.9 billion backlog of deferred maintenance in our national parks, I will gladly pay the entrance fees that they charge so things don't get any worse than they are. One can also think of the bang for a buck you get when you go to a park. If my family goes to the movies twice and buy snacks that it is more than what an annual America the Beautiful pass costs.

I paid for both of my parents' lifetime senior passes. Heck - when my mom couldn't find hers, plunking down another $10 was no big deal. That's the best deal, especially when I can tag along with her. Those (and the lifetime disabled pass) are limited to US citizens and permanent residents though. However, even a foreign visitor can pay for an annual pass.

Just so im clear. I DO NOT, and have NEVER thought that its to expensive to enter into Yosemite. It has always been a great value for me personally because of my proximity to the park and how much time i spend there. It is well worth the price of admission because i do use the Park and its facilities quiet frequently BUT i also know how much i see the one time every 5-10 year crowds abusing the park. For most of us here, i feel that we leave the park in better shape every time we go. Not just by cleaning up after ourselves but by undoing someone elses traces. My personal example is i always carry a bag with me and pick up trash from any trail that im hiking on. Anyway what i was trying to say is that if i notice someone taking care of MY HAPPY PLACE, YNP, id like to give them an atta boy by cutting them slack on the entry fees and if possible encourage them to come back even more and spend the money they saved at the entrance, somewhere else along the way. KEEP UP THE UP KEEP and thank you to all who take care of one of Gods small gifts to us, Yosemite National Park.

Well, I have at times felt guilty about tagging along on their lifetime passes. I was just saying that's an incredible value to be able to access federal recreation areas along with several companions for a lifetime $10 fee.

As for leaving in good shape, I know this may not be the right forum, but there was a multi university frat party at Lake Shasta last weekend where tents, coolers, sleeping bags, chairs, and garbage were left abandoned. This is a yearly event, and one where they bring in law enforcement from all over, but watch from a distance because they can be overwhelmed. I suppose the nastiest description was that they were still cleaning it up, including tents covered with feces. The Forest Service and local authorities have their hands full.

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2016/05/lake_shasta_native_who_found_f.html

Addendum: I see it was mentioned in the general discussion board.

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y_p_w
Well, I have at times felt guilty about tagging along on their lifetime passes. I was just saying that's an incredible value to be able to access federal recreation areas along with several companions for a lifetime $10 fee.

As for leaving in good shape, I know this may not be the right forum, but there was a multi university frat party at Lake Shasta last weekend where tents, coolers, sleeping bags, chairs, and garbage were left abandoned. This is a yearly event, and one where they bring in law enforcement from all over, but watch from a distance because they can be overwhelmed. I suppose the nastiest description was that they were still cleaning it up, including tents covered with feces. The Forest Service and local authorities have their hands full.

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2016/05/lake_shasta_native_who_found_f.html

Addendum: I see it was mentioned in the general discussion board.

I hope they catch and punish the kids that did that. I got my lifetime pass last year and felt guilty about it so I upped my donations to some park related organizations. I would have been willing to pay $10 a year instead of $10 for the rest of my life but I know that for many retirees any price is more than they can afford. I am lucky that my husband is younger than I am and has not retired yet.

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MY HAPPY PLACE
Just so im clear. I DO NOT, and have NEVER thought that its to expensive to enter into Yosemite. It has always been a great value for me personally because of my proximity to the park and how much time i spend there. It is well worth the price of admission because i do use the Park and its facilities quiet frequently BUT i also know how much i see the one time every 5-10 year crowds abusing the park. For most of us here, i feel that we leave the park in better shape every time we go. Not just by cleaning up after ourselves but by undoing someone elses traces. My personal example is i always carry a bag with me and pick up trash from any trail that im hiking on. Anyway what i was trying to say is that if i notice someone taking care of MY HAPPY PLACE, YNP, id like to give them an atta boy by cutting them slack on the entry fees and if possible encourage them to come back even more and spend the money they saved at the entrance, somewhere else along the way. KEEP UP THE UP KEEP and thank you to all who take care of one of Gods small gifts to us, Yosemite National Park.

I deeply apologize for misunderstanding what you were saying. One of the downfalls of chat sites. The reason that those of us post here is that we are park lovers for all parks but especially Yosemite. All of us here pick up trash that others leave behind and practice Leave No Trace. Like you I always carry a bag with me and pick up trash in every park I go to, not just Yosemite. Sometimes it is as a park volunteer but most of the time I do it while hiking or while my family takes pictures I police the area around us and pick up all the trash I find. However not all visitors to Yosemite, even the ones that go all the time, are like us. While I have found that tour groups are the worse, from my experience I have to say that it is not just the one time crowd that abuses the park. I can't tell you how many times I have seen people in picnic areas leave a mess and get into cars that have license plate frames or decals on their vehicles that show that they are from gateway towns. I go to Yosemite a lot and some of them I have seen before.

It would be hard to figure out when people come through the entrances if they are going to be the people that will pick up their trash. However it would be nice if good behavior would be rewarded some way. The times that I have volunteered I have gotten goodies that have ranged from a VIP tote bag, a coupon for discounts in the park, all the way to pens, stickers and pins. Maybe there could be some way that if you hand in a large trash can bag of trash, not your own, at a Visitor Center they could give you a badge or something. Or maybe the opposite would be better incentive where you make someone leave the park if they don't practice Leave No Trace. As for me, you and the others here, we will just keep picking up trash no matter if we get rewarded or not.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/2016 07:40PM by parklover.

Come to the annual Yosemite Facelift. It's on Public Lands Day which is Sept. 25th this year. They loan you some trash pickers, bags, and turn you loose to pick up all the trash you can find. You bring the trash back, they weigh it, and total it all up. One year they got over 20,000 pounds.

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Dave
Come to the annual Yosemite Facelift. It's on Public Lands Day which is Sept. 25th this year. They loan you some trash pickers, bags, and turn you loose to pick up all the trash you can find. You bring the trash back, they weigh it, and total it all up. One year they got over 20,000 pounds.

I have already done that but missed last year. I am planning to do it again this year.

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Dave
Come to the annual Yosemite Facelift. It's on Public Lands Day which is Sept. 25th this year. They loan you some trash pickers, bags, and turn you loose to pick up all the trash you can find. You bring the trash back, they weigh it, and total it all up. One year they got over 20,000 pounds.

I 2nd (or 3rd) that. I've participated in Facelift every year since it began, and it's a very rewarding experience to give back a little bit to a place we all love so much.
Ken Yager does a great job organizing this every year, the man is a saint!

They also have some nice raffle prizes as thank yous and everyone has a good time. About 1/2 of the stuff I picked up the year before last was dirty diapers that I found stuffed into cracks between boulders. It boggles the mind that someone would think that was OK to do.