An increase in park entrance fees probably won't directly affect many of us - I am going to guess most of us either have annual passes (that for some reason wouldn't going up in price ????) or geezer cards. I am also not against inflationary adjustments to park entrance fees. However the argument that these increases are to help benefit the parks, when they are accompanied by a 13% budget cut to the NPS holds no water. If both Zinke's budget request, and the increased fees are enacted, the net effect would still be a large reduction in the NPS budget, AND to exclude lower income folks from the parks. The fact that this is only in peak season, only at popular parks and doesn't effect annual and geezer passes makes it pretty clear to me that this is an ideological decision largely about reducing visitation. Hoping that a fee increase is really hoping that the fees will price lower income folks out of visiting their parks - which is not a position I am comfortable with.
Permits are somewhere where I think there is an opportunity for increased revenue and more fairness. From talking to some friends who are back country rangers in the NPS, the permitting system is being seriously abused now that it is largely through Recreation.gov. On busy summer weekends in popular parks like RMNP, ~30% of the back country permits are no shows. We have experienced this as well when we have been backpacking - the permit system will show all the campsites occupied, yet as we hike in, at least 1/3 of the campsites have no one in them on busy weekend nights.
What happens is that during the spring when the permits for the next summer become available everyone who thinks they might want to go backpacking/rafting etc goes on line, pays their $25 and applies for what ever they think they might want. Then when summer comes around and life intervenes or they end up being less ambitious than they were when they had spring fever and they don't end up using the permit (it is only $25, no big deal) but seeing they just booked it on line they never end up cancelling. Particularly with rafting and backpacking permits, you can't really reuse these no show permits, as by the time you realize someone is a no show, there is not time to issue the permit to someone else, get to the trail head (often hours of driving from the back country office) and hike in the 3 - 10 miles to the designated camp site. Also, as Stalkinglight pointed out, not many folks have the time to get all packed out and just hang out at the back country office hoping for a cancellation that may fit their requirements.
I personally think they need to make the permits more expensive (make the permit $70 + $25, but it includes the entrance fee) and more interactive to get (you need to call the ranger and actually talk about what you plan to do). Or make a deposit- you pay $100 application fee, $75 of which is refunded when you pick up your permit on the day of your trip. Or a black list - you need a drivers license number, if you are a no show without canceling your blacklisted from the permit system for a year or two.
Permits are somewhere where I think there is an opportunity for increased revenue and more fairness. From talking to some friends who are back country rangers in the NPS, the permitting system is being seriously abused now that it is largely through Recreation.gov. On busy summer weekends in popular parks like RMNP, ~30% of the back country permits are no shows. We have experienced this as well when we have been backpacking - the permit system will show all the campsites occupied, yet as we hike in, at least 1/3 of the campsites have no one in them on busy weekend nights.
What happens is that during the spring when the permits for the next summer become available everyone who thinks they might want to go backpacking/rafting etc goes on line, pays their $25 and applies for what ever they think they might want. Then when summer comes around and life intervenes or they end up being less ambitious than they were when they had spring fever and they don't end up using the permit (it is only $25, no big deal) but seeing they just booked it on line they never end up cancelling. Particularly with rafting and backpacking permits, you can't really reuse these no show permits, as by the time you realize someone is a no show, there is not time to issue the permit to someone else, get to the trail head (often hours of driving from the back country office) and hike in the 3 - 10 miles to the designated camp site. Also, as Stalkinglight pointed out, not many folks have the time to get all packed out and just hang out at the back country office hoping for a cancellation that may fit their requirements.
I personally think they need to make the permits more expensive (make the permit $70 + $25, but it includes the entrance fee) and more interactive to get (you need to call the ranger and actually talk about what you plan to do). Or make a deposit- you pay $100 application fee, $75 of which is refunded when you pick up your permit on the day of your trip. Or a black list - you need a drivers license number, if you are a no show without canceling your blacklisted from the permit system for a year or two.
