Because they can. CA camping fees

billharr

billharr

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2009
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Location
Stockton CA
On our trip to Big Sur I realized I did not have a 2014 campfire permit. Asked the camp host where I could get one and he told me a couple of places I could. Drove by Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and decided to drive in and pick up a permit. Had to take a picture of the fee sign. Guess CA is now using the "as much as we can" fee structure. Note campground was full at these rates.
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We stayed at Kirk Creek and Plasketts both Fed campgrounds for $12.50 senior rate :D
 
Although we didn't stay there, we noticed the "preminum sites" at the state park's Wrights Beach were $45 and Wrights does not have the usual state park campground showers. "Note campground was full at these rates," well there you go....................there's only so many places to stay and if there were cheap campgrounds everywhere it would certainly change the character of the area. How much is a nice bed & breakfast in those parts? The tariff to stay there is steep for me. For $50 I'd want some cute girl bringing me a warm blanket and a special drink.................................humm, seems I already have that taken care of. :)

Only a few months 'til my geezer card! :eek: ....................but the half off camping is only assured at federal agency campgrounds. At concessaire run campgrounds, it is the concession's decission whether to honor the card - a note of concern as more of our campgrounds are privatized.
 
Got that Ski, "Geezerdum" has a few bennies! Several years ago this topic lit up this site, especially as several of us "Seniors " stopped by our favorite places and were presented with $25/35 fees instead of our usual $8.00/15.00 fee. Yep, and at the same time the state for "budget" reasons was trying to sell off off state parks to the highest bidder--and so started the "save the parks" campaign that so many of us were involved in-----and then after we did sort of save them, it turned out that there were two state funds that were set aside to pay for the parks that they didn't tell us about. Both parties were part of that coverup and we the "public" now go to our over priced and underfunded parks. $2.00 is not much for a senior and for a young family today doesn't help them at all (so off to the fed lands, before they to are sold off) , but I remember as a kid going to coast on weekends for hardly anything! Saving the parks on the backs of the "public" so a few of that certain other class can pay lower taxes "the new American" way, I guess!

Smoke
 
ski3pin said:
Although we didn't stay there, we noticed the "preminum sites" at the state park's Wrights Beach were $45 and Wrights does not have the usual state park campground showers. "Note campground was full at these rates," well there you go....................there's only so many places to stay and if there were cheap campgrounds everywhere it would certainly change the character of the area. How much is a nice bed & breakfast in those parts? The tariff to stay there is steep for me. For $50 I'd want some cute girl bringing me a warm blanket and a special drink.................................humm, seems I already have that taken care of. :)

Only a few months 'til my geezer card! :eek: ....................but the half off camping is only assured at federal agency campgrounds. At concessaire run campgrounds, it is the concession's decission whether to honor the card - a note of concern as more of our campgrounds are privatized.
Click to expand...
How much is a nice place? Sit down when you click to check the rates.

​Plasketts CG is run by a concessionaire and honor the 1/2 off rate. The state parks are what has gone nuts. Limekilm SP was $35 full and this is what the sites looked like. Not my style. Note this is the beach area they do have a forest area.
med_gallery_1903_757_721654.jpg
 
I have mixed feelings. CA campgrounds aren't generally very good in term of amenities compared to Oregon. Oregon is cheaper too but if CA raises rates to add amenities and services maybe it's ok. If they are using the money for other things then I have a bigger issue. It may be both.
 
Most of the places have no new goodies, just restrooms cleaned by volunteer camp hosts and from what I hear, about half of the LE and maint and other staffs have been laid off (but lots of pvt-state agreements)---yet they have the money to do everything right now, but refuse to spend it because of this rainy day fund they keep trying to build up and worrying about being accused by the other side of wasteful spending; well anyway they are putting some of it into schools and the highways now so something is happening right(?) I guess I have to keep paying my taxes so the upper half will not have to pay theirs- starting to sound like a commie or something, maybe being an old geezer has a few "beenies" after all I can bitch all I want now.

Smoke
 
Nice that Bill posted the rates at Big Sur.
We take visitors there often to walk and lunch and noticed the camping fees. So it didn't come as a shock to see the different fees.
That said,I have been doing some trip planning and wanted to spend a night at Big Trees SP the first night,(since we don't have our cabin in that area anymore) than head out into the forest from there.I searched for the first night 26 May,Monday and saw the fees were $40 for most of the sites. Today I searched for the week later and all the sites are $35. Than went back to search for Tuesday the 27th and all the sites were also $35. Guess premium pricing has hit Ca. SP also.
We only go to a few SP as possible,the ones in a special place or off season.
Oh the senior discount of $2, I think you actually have to have an annual senior pass to get it,but all the Ca. SP's we have stayed at we were never asked for the pass and given the discount.It's not much but it may get you a beer or coffee. Or at least a down payment on one of them.
Also one the fire permit. You should stop at a ranger station and get one,especially with the fire season this year. They are free and you could get a big fine if you don't have one. It's not just for a campfire,check the signs in NF areas and some require them for bbq's and stoves also. It's easy to get one even stop a ranger (if you can find one) and they should have a permit pad with them.
It's nice to have our SP system and we enjoy our visits but try to stay in non state places as much as possible.
Keep camping and don't let some of this get to you.
Frank
 
For those prices I'd expect full hookups and flush toilets. Fortunately I prefer boondocking anyway.
 
When we were at Devils Lake state park on the Oregon Coast one of the employees told their rates were going up in May or June. Still, Oregon State Parks are superb. Mostly free showers and in some incredible locations.
 
I'll play devil's advocate here for a minute. :giggle:

When gas is $4+ per gallon, and $50 buys one bag of groceries, I'm not sure camp fees are that far out of alignment.

Sure, I love it when we camped at the Warner's and the fee was $8, but I asked myself how they could possibly pay for a daily visit to check the TP supplies in the pit toilet, much less amortize the cost of repaving every ten years or so. I know there's a lot of volunteers, and a lot of concessionaires, but the infrastructure (tables, water lines (who's treating that water??), bathrooms, pavement, electric lighting, etc.) all need to be installed and maintained, plus the cost of staff.

I suspect many campground are revenue negative and cost the state (OR for instance) more than they bring in.
Just sayin' Fiddy bucks ain't what it used to be!
And . . . Hallelujah we boondock most of the time! :D
 
Having spent a lot of time in and around Washington and Oregon I find some of the state campgrounds are getting expensive also. Not as bad as California but still pricey. Especially when there are no showers (Only reason I swing by campgrounds). I swear the campgrounds with out showers are actually more then the campgrounds with showers.
 
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