Alert: US National Parks Geezer Pass Prices to Rise This Year

[Sirius Glass]

This is one government fee that I do not mind paying. It is worth the investment to keep the National Park Service open.

 

[Terry Breedlove]

It is our land paying a gate fee in to what we already own and pay for through the general tax system is a crime ran by the greedy politicians. Tell them to start spending what they take from us more wisely and maybe we won't have to pay all these damn fees and extra taxes.

 

[Leigh B]

It is our land paying a gate fee in to what we already own and pay for through the general tax system is a crime ran by the greedy politicians.

Yes, we own the parks.

But we don't own the people who work in them. Do you expect them to work for free ? ? ?

- Leigh

 

[Terry Breedlove]

That is stupid. We already pay taxes and if you would start demanding the politicians stop wasting our money through high dollars contracts paying back their political money machine lobbyists backers. Tax money sent to forieng states that hate us and plenty of other wasteful projects. We could pay their wages and take care of our parks. With no gate fees needed. The gate fees just let them get away with stealing what is already ours the wages we earn and our parks.

 

[Terry Breedlove]

In 2011 link below the Parks took almost 200 million from park visitors. In 2015 we lost about a Trillion per year through waste. Stop the waste and the greed and we don't need the damn fees.

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.co...llions-dollars-year-national-park-service5360

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/16/richard-rahn-us-government-wastes-1-trillion-a-yea/

 

[Vaughn]

True, cut out war from the budget, then there would plenty of money for the National Parks (and schools, infrastructure, child care, etc).

Much of the 200 million a year intake of fees that the park get, also come from foreign visitors. Since they pay little US or state taxes, it is nice to get their money to support the Parks.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Make the politicians do there job including raising taxes when necessary and the problem and many other problems will go away.

 

[Vaughn]

It does seem that the more we lower taxes, the more problems we have...oh well, doing my taxes now.

But I do believe in the user paying up-front for Park use in the form of fees. I would prefer no enterance fee for campers -- get that from the camp ground fees. Ten bucks to enter the Park and ten bucks a night to camp sounds fair to me. It seems to me the people respect things they pay for than more than what they get for free. I had that reinforced last month at Death Valley NP when some 20-somethings tried to take my campsite away from me. One of the responces I heard was "This is a free campground, there are no rules."

 

[Leigh B]

It seems to me the people respect things they pay for than more than what they get for free.

Ain't that the truth.

- Leigh

 

[Tom Taylor]

I do not think it is high. If any family is going to go to multiple National Parks (lets say 5 times a year), then that is $16 per visit, which is cheap at any economic level (that at least can afford a car and the gas). Two people can't even go to the movies for $16...and you get a whole National Park for the whole family. And if the family is multi-generational, then chances are someone can get the Life-long pass...and it is dirt cheap for the family.

Camping fees are a different story.

With the pass you get 50% off camping fees which could be significant if you are a regular visitor: The Senior Pass may provide a 50 percent discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch, and specialized interpretive services.

Thomas

 

[Arklatexian]

This is one government fee that I do not mind paying. It is worth the investment to keep the National Park Service open.

Another thing you want to keep watching for is what people would like to do with some of our National Parks. I remember that one time the Corps. of Engineers was measuring the Grand Canyon for a dam to generate electricity. At about the same time they also were planning a dam that would flood Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. There are people in this world that believe water is completely wasted unless it is powering generators and I can't believe they have all gone away. The time period that I am talking about is the mid-nineteen fifties.....Regards!.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Now there are people in the Congress that want to mine the Grand Canyon for uranium and drill for oil in the National Parks in Utah. The Mi Vida mine in south east Utah, south of Moab has the largest high quality yellow cake uranium in the world and it has barely started into the uranium field. So why the hell would we want to destroy the Grand Canyon to make companies rich when we have a mine to will meet the needs no matter how many nuclear weapons or nuclear fuel we could want? Just corporate greed on steroids.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Reminder the price of the Geezer passes go up on 28 August 2017 and some parks have run out. If you cannot get to a National Park in time, pay $10 more and buy it on line before the price goes up. Your spouse or significant other should get a pass too in case you later loose one or one of you passes on. The time to get the lead out is now!

 

[wiltw]

It seems to me the people respect things they pay for than more than what they get for free. I had that reinforced last month at Death Valley NP when some 20-somethings tried to take my campsite away from me. One of the responces I heard was "This is a free campground, there are no rules."

You can blame their parents for instilling the overwhelming sense of ENTITLEMENT in the kids as well as the total lack of understanding about deference to any higher authority

 

[Alan9940]

Reminder the price of the Geezer passes go up on 28 August 2017 and some parks have run out. If you cannot get to a National Park in time, pay $10 more and buy it on line before the price goes up. Your spouse or significant other should get a pass too in case you later loose one or one of you passes on. The time to get the lead out is now!

My wife and I bought ours several months ago from a local BLM office. The clerk there said she was selling 50-70 passes per day! I would suggest calling to make sure they have passes available, if you're buying locally or from one of the National Parks.

 

[Alan Klein]

Apparently you can get a one year senior pass for $20.

https://store.usgs.gov/faq#New-Senior-Pass-Update

What if a senior citizen is on a fixed budget?


The legislation also establishes an annual Senior Pass for $20. That pass is valid for one year from the date of issuance. Four annual Senior Passes purchased in consecutive years can be traded in for a lifetime pass. Additionally, access to the majority of National Park Service sites remains free -- only 118 of 417 National Park Service sites have an entrance fee.

 

[Alan Klein]

Whoever suggested an extra pass for your wife, thanks. Just ordered one for mine.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Got mine a few months ago - thank you, Sirius, for the advance notice!

...though I was disappointed it didn't say "Geezer Pass".

 

[Vaughn]

Hey Alan! That's what is nice about Redwood National and State Parks. With the exception for the road to Fern Canyon, there are no day use fees. With the number of free visits I have made at the various redwoods parks over the last 45 years, any fee I pay at other National Parks works out to be pennies per visit!

Before my old geezer pass, I visited Yosemite National Park for free for 20 years. I stayed with a friend living in Yosemite Valley and he'd sign a pass for me. He is not there anymore, but I could get a free pass because I can claim the visits are due to business (I'm represented by the gallery in the Valley)...but with the geezer pass I don't bother.

Wiltw -- I am a firm believer that when you point a finger at someone, three are pointing back at yourself. The lessons learned from our generation (Boomers in my case) have been greed, hypocrisy, and selfishness.

Fine examples in social behavior -- and we blame them for learning the lessons so well.

 

[voceumana]

Here's a link to sites where you can purchase the pass: https://store.usgs.gov/sites/default/files/PassIssuanceList.pdf

The list is 44 pages long, and it includes many other places other than national parks so there might be a place near you. I bought mine at the local US Forest visitor's center in my town.

 

[wiltw]

Wiltw -- I am a firm believer that when you point a finger at someone, three are pointing back at yourself. The lessons learned from our generation (Boomers in my case) have been greed, hypocrisy, and selfishness.

Fine examples in social behavior -- and we blame them for learning the lessons so well.

Yes, my wife the 30 year kindergarten teacher blames our generation for raising the kids who are now the excessivly indulgent ever-defensive parents of today. The most recent kindergarten class (two classes) was one of the most incredibly ill behaved she has ever run acrossed.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Got mine a few months ago - thank you, Sirius, for the advance notice!

...though I was disappointed it didn't say "Geezer Pass".

That would be a more accurate name for it.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I think I paid maybe $7 for my Geezer Pass, and it covers all kinds of Fed outdoorsy venues, not just NP's. But since a single-day entry in a popular park like Yosemite is now around $25, even an $80 lifetime permit is a bargain. Only a handful of NP's generate a budget surplus necessary to support the whole system, so the balance has to come from fees and taxes. Some NP's don't even charge a penny. The popular parks can be quite expensive to manage, just like a small city, which they essentially are in tourist season. Yosemite even has its own jail.

 

[wiltw]

That is stupid. We already pay taxes and if you would start demanding the politicians stop wasting our money through high dollars contracts paying back their political money machine lobbyists backers. Tax money sent to forieng states that hate us and plenty of other wasteful projects. We could pay their wages and take care of our parks. With no gate fees needed. The gate fees just let them get away with stealing what is already ours the wages we earn and our parks.

But most everyone pays taxes, simply to staff the places and maintain them, and manage the lands when fires strike. Not everyone USES them so some modest payment for a lifetime of use as a senior is not asking much!

 

[PopPop70]

Just joined APUG and saw this thread. I just bought a Senior Pass ($20) online. I'm not worried about losing it since I'll give it to my wife who never loses (or forgets!) anything.