Well this sucks. Not only are camping fees going up at NF campgrounds, they refuse to honor veterans and old people passes. I just reserved a spot at a NF campground I have visited many times.
$52 with pirate fees. If you cancel, you only get $34 back. My campground is very popular and three weeks out, there were only 4 spots left. Many locals in WY sit by their computers and when the sites become available, they reserve two week blocks. The concessioners are making a killing. 48 sites at $50 a crack a night. Unknown what their cut is.
The U.S. Forest Service has announced it plans to eliminate the 50% discount at National Forest campgrounds that has traditionally been available to holders of lifetime Senior and Access (permanent disability) passes. The change will apply at campgrounds operated by private concessioners, which represent 50% of National Forest camping capacity and 82% of reservable campsites.
In a notice in the December 1st Federal Register, the agency outlined a new policy that would replace the half-price rule that has been in place since the mid-'60s with a 10% discount. The policy would also require Senior and Access passholders to pay a fee at National Forest day-use sites that are currently covered in full by their passes.
Under current policy, concessioners are required to honor Senior and Access passes for campground fees under the same terms as if the Forest Service operated the facility directly, meaning that a 50% discount must be offered. Most highly-developed campgrounds are now concessioner-run.
As the concessioner program has expanded over the past thirty years, it has moved away from a small mom-and-pop business model to one dominated by a few large corporations. According to the published notice, those firms brought five specific complaints to the Forest Service: 1) the REA does not require the 50% discount, only Forest Service policy does; 2) the discount is too steep; 3) the 50% discount is non-negotiable and can't be used as a "marketing tool to encourage off-peak use"; 4) as the baby-boomer generation ages, too many people are becoming eligible for the discount; and 5) prices to other campers must be increased to cover the discounts given to lifetime passholders.
She pointed out that under previous policy, offering lifetime passes and substantial discounts to seniors and the disabled was a way of honoring their contributions to our nation and ensuring them access to the benefits of outdoor recreation. "I guess that's out the window now," she said. "No more special honors, no more special breaks. Pay up or stay home now applies to everyone."
I would be very surprised if the discount we get when we go to a National Park is not lessoned.
$52 with pirate fees. If you cancel, you only get $34 back. My campground is very popular and three weeks out, there were only 4 spots left. Many locals in WY sit by their computers and when the sites become available, they reserve two week blocks. The concessioners are making a killing. 48 sites at $50 a crack a night. Unknown what their cut is.
The U.S. Forest Service has announced it plans to eliminate the 50% discount at National Forest campgrounds that has traditionally been available to holders of lifetime Senior and Access (permanent disability) passes. The change will apply at campgrounds operated by private concessioners, which represent 50% of National Forest camping capacity and 82% of reservable campsites.
In a notice in the December 1st Federal Register, the agency outlined a new policy that would replace the half-price rule that has been in place since the mid-'60s with a 10% discount. The policy would also require Senior and Access passholders to pay a fee at National Forest day-use sites that are currently covered in full by their passes.
Under current policy, concessioners are required to honor Senior and Access passes for campground fees under the same terms as if the Forest Service operated the facility directly, meaning that a 50% discount must be offered. Most highly-developed campgrounds are now concessioner-run.
As the concessioner program has expanded over the past thirty years, it has moved away from a small mom-and-pop business model to one dominated by a few large corporations. According to the published notice, those firms brought five specific complaints to the Forest Service: 1) the REA does not require the 50% discount, only Forest Service policy does; 2) the discount is too steep; 3) the 50% discount is non-negotiable and can't be used as a "marketing tool to encourage off-peak use"; 4) as the baby-boomer generation ages, too many people are becoming eligible for the discount; and 5) prices to other campers must be increased to cover the discounts given to lifetime passholders.
She pointed out that under previous policy, offering lifetime passes and substantial discounts to seniors and the disabled was a way of honoring their contributions to our nation and ensuring them access to the benefits of outdoor recreation. "I guess that's out the window now," she said. "No more special honors, no more special breaks. Pay up or stay home now applies to everyone."
I would be very surprised if the discount we get when we go to a National Park is not lessoned.
