High Sierra Topix

I know that there are people who live in Fresno or Lee Vining that can visit Yosemite on a half a tank of gas. Just the same, I don't think it's too far out to guess the majority of us can expect to burn thru at least $150 dollars worth of gas alone to visit the park. My point being is that considering the cost of a family style visit to Yosemite $30 is a drop in the bucket. Trying to say that a $10 increase is going to prevent anyone form visiting doesn't really fly. If you really want to save the cash just drive up to Angeles NF where as long as you have an Adventure Pass they do have no fee camping. The only problem is that you may spend your evening cleaning empty beer cans and diapers out of the fire pit while you listen to the bang of poachers gunfire.

New post by tie on Tue Oct 21, 2014 6:43 pm
The senior passes are disgusting. Completely unfair. *Disagree.*

I agree the 50% increase is unfair as the inflation rate does not dictate that. The senior pass enables retired people; perhaps on a fixed income to enjoy the parks. They perhaps are pretty mobile and can use it more often than the average working stiff. Besides, consider many of those seniors have put in there "dues" by working longer than youngins; and perhaps kept you safe and enable you to live freely enough to be able to go to the parks by graciously serving in the military. Payback and a perk.

I just got a senior pass...and yeah, I have paid taxes for more than forty years. So fair enough, if you ask me.

Yosemite is a stunning place, but its biggest challenge is managing the people who visit the busiest parts of it. If it takes a slightly higher fee to do that and provide the services that those visitors need then I am in favor.

Making the park free is a wonderful idea---until you think through the impacts: double the existing traffic...

The park is special, and $30 is a bargain compared to taking your family to the movies...

I have mixed feelings about the public policy on this one. I do think park users should pay for some significant percentage of park maintenance. But I also think RoguePhotonic's observation, that $30 is no joke for some families, is worth noting.

Most of my trips to Yosemite are not to visit the park at all, but to get as quickly as possible from the Bay Area to eastside trailheads near Mammoth, Bishop, Rock Creek, etc. I use Tioga Pass strictly as a highway to somewhere else.

So one thing is for certain: There will be a lot more of the Sonora Pass in my future. The Highway 108 adds no more than ~20 minutes to my eastside destinations. With traffic backups and construction common in Yosemite at certain times of the day, Sonora can even be faster.

It may be good public policy to discourage people from using Tioga Pass as a thru-highway. Might reduce traffic problems in the park. On the other hand, it might merely have the effect of increasing traffic on neighboring passes (such as the 108) by the same measure.

- Elizabeth

How much of this fee if any goes to anything you think it does though? Most things like this don't and in some cases go straight to foreign Governments.

If you want to rent this beautiful valley in Yosemite National Park and then drown it, it will only set you back $30,000 a year. That's how much San Francisco pays for the privilege of making its macchiatos with pristine Sierra water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

Until these enviro hypocrites start forking over multi-millions a year for the water they take, we shouldn't have to pay a single red cent to enter Yosemite

For all of you wondering where the fees go, check out these links. Prior to 1997, the money went in the U.S. Treasury. "However, Congress has since passed laws mandating that these fees enhance visitor experiences. Current fees maintain and improve facilities, restore wildlife habitat, offer educational materials and services, and provide transportation at national parks and other federal land agencies."

http://parkadvocate.org/park-fees-shoul ... k=64165036" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/20 ... ervice5360" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.npca.org/assets/pdf/Committee_Funding.PDF" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's also important to recognize that some of the national parks aren't legally allowed to charge fees (e.g. Great Smoky Mountain). I'm sure some parks pay for others. $30 for a 7 day pass is still a joke, so I don't understand the whining. Plus some of the people whining about the fee increases are the same people who complain about too many people in the parks.

I've always thought there should be a fee for Americans and a different fee for international visitors. It might be tough to implement.

I've been up there occasionally since '91. I think I paid a total of 100 bucks (five trips even though I've had at least 20 because we came into the park late at night and then left when the kiosks were closed.)

here is the system that I think they'll end up implementing:

They will give you the receipt on your way in if the kiosk is open. Then, they will hire more rangers to drive/walk around and look at dashboards to see if your ticket is there. If its not, they will write you a citation that will be revoked at the exit kiosk if it is open and you pay. Otherwise, they send you a bill.

could just put in a fastrak system (electronic toll). It's all the rage lately.

hope the NPS doesn't read this.

All I see in those links is people talking about how money should be spent or what they think it is spent on rather than actual receipt data on where and how it was used.

I guess I would have to pour through one or many of the comprehensive annual financial reports to do so though. Although more often than not those prove to be a good read for almost any city in America. You often have cities declaring that they are completely broke and their annual report shows that they have surpluses of tens of billions or even sometimes hundreds of billions of dollars.