How much would you be OK with paying to visit national parks?/Canyonlands National Park vista, Rebecca Latson
How much is a national park visit worth to you? It's a question that floats to the surface from time to time when talk turns to the National Park Service's funding woes and nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog.
So, how much is too much? Instead of paying $25 or $30 per carload for a week in a park, would you be willing to pay, say, $25 or $35 per person in your car? Would you be OK with being charged a flat $100 per carload for seven days?
One-hundred-dollars per carload might seem expensive, but it also might still be a bargain, if you consider that in 1916 it cost $10 to enter Yellowstone National Park. If that $10 fee continued to rise annually with the rate of inflation, today the fee would be $244.
So, travelers, what maximum price would you place on visiting a national park? At what price point would you say, "Whoa, that's more than I can comfortably afford with my budget"?
Comments
In many other countries I have visited, non-locals pay a higher fee for museums, parks, and other government owned or run facilities. This is so common that I'm used to it, and it makes sense to me. I agree with other posters that visitors from other countries should pay more, since they aren't paying the taxes to support our national parks. If they can afford a vacation in the USA, they can afford higher NP entry fees, especially since the current fees are so low
Personally, I have a lifetime NP pass, so it's hard for me to answer what I would pay per trip!
That's actually pretty unusual for any developed country. I looked up what they do in Australia, Canada, or the UK, and entry fees to national parks don't depend on citizenship or permanent residency. The only thing I know of our federal lifetime passes is that they're supposed to be limited to US nationals and permanent residents, but all other fees are the same. I have no problem with it as it's similar across developed countries.
I'd prefer to keep entry fees low, so that the park experience doesn't filter out lower income individuals and families, but increase incentives, like a poster or book or special pin, to reward those able and willing to pay more. Similar to how public radio operates. Visiting our National Parks shouldn't only be for those who can afford to pay more.