I am just curious what you have to pay for camping at state campgrounds. Do you have to buy a state park sticker to camp and what is that fee?
NH has gone up again this year and added a new twist, $5 extra for a "premium" site. Three dollar charge for reservations.
Extra adult charge is 1/2 the campsite fee. So if I bring another couple with us, that doubles the fee.
Rates run from $16 with no hookups at some parks to $42 (rv state park) with full hookups.
The site I like has electric and water and a water view. Cost would be $29 plus $5 for prime site. If I bring another couple, that would be $68 a night.
What I wonder about is if these rates keep on going up, will people start to see that private campgrounds may be a better deal and secondly, are these rates going to force lower income people from enjoying camping.
I know that when we started camping, the low cost is what made it possible for us to travel.
For us in NE, the cost for camping at state parks varies anywhere from $4 - 13 /night depending upon what type of site and what park (primitive/dry or parks that have w/e and a bath house). We also have a state park permit that we have to buy which is $14/year. I believe to get a duplicate permit is half that for a second vehicle. We mostly do dry camping so at $4/night it's a deal. The only place I know of where I can take my family of 7 and go out for a weekend and not spend a fortune!
Maine Parks have no-hookups but do have bath houses in most of them if not all of them.
From the Maine Parks page
Resident/ Non-resident
Aroostook$12.00/$15.00
Bradbury Mountain$11.00/$14.00
Camden Hills $15.00/$20.00
Cobscook Bay$14.00/$19.00
Lake St. George$15.00/$20.00
Lamoine$15.00/$20.00
Lily Bay $14.00/$19.00
Mount Blue$15.00/$20.00
Peaks-Kenny$15.00/$20.00
Rangeley Lake$15.00/$20.00
Sebago Lake$15.00/$20.00
Warren Island$14.00/$19.00
All campsite fees are per site, per night. Maine's 7% lodging tax is included in the fees listed above.
Off Season Camping Fees - $ 10.00 resident, $13.00 nonresident (tax included). Off season camping fees will be in effect for all areas listed above, from September 15, 2003 to May 16, 2004.
Campsite Reservation Fee - An additional fee of $2.00 per night, per site, will be charged for reservations. Reservations cannot be made for campsites in the Penobscot River Corridor, or the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
GROUP CAMPING FEES AND EXEMPTIONS
Group Camping Area Reservation Fee - $10.00, nonrefundable. At those facilities where special group campsites are available and where prior reservations have been made, organized groups of campers shall pay $3.00 per person, per night. There is a minimum group camping fee of $30.00. With prior approval from the Bureau's regional offices, no camping fee will be charged for the following:
Organized programs for residents of State and Federal institutions
Organized programs for disadvantaged or persons with disabilities
School programs during the school year (September through July 1)
ALLAGASH WILDERNESS WATERWAY FEES
Residents $4.00/per person/per night - Nonresident $5.00/per person/per night - Children under 10 years of age - free. Winter fee - Chamberlain Thoroughfare Bridge parking lot and the Kellogg Brook site, $50.00/month plus tax, per site.
PENOBSCOT RIVER CORRIDOR FEES
Resident $4.00*/per person/per night - Nonresident $5.00*/per person/per night - Children under 10 years of age - free.
*These fees include the 7% lodging tax.
PA state parks are about $17 for non-resident "familys" (groups of 5 or less). That's for sites with no hook ups.
Great thread, Gene. Can't wait to find out what people have to say.
Minnesota State Parks in a nutshell ...
Annual vehicle permit is $25 ($18 for a second vehicle at the same address)
Semi-modern site (with showers) ------ $15/night
Rustic site (no showers) -------------- $11/night
Electric hookup (where available) ------ add $4/night
Water and sewer hookup -------------- add $4/night
There is an $8.50 reservation fee. It used to be you made a reservation and picked your sites when you got there. (Tough when you were camping with a group cuz you had to pay their balance to get them a site ~ first person there had a heck of a bill!!) This year they switched it to site-specific reservations. Very nice.
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Michigan State Parks
Annual Pass is $24 for residents, $6 for Seniors over 65 and $29 for non Residents
Reservation Fee $2...can reserve up to 6 mos in advance, most parks are site specific
We have 3 parks with some full hook up sites...those are $29
Semi modern (ele) ranges depending on the park from $16 to $24
Rustic is $10
The State Forests are all $10
A single camp may consist of only 4 unrelated persons, or one single family
You are allowed to put 1 Trailer and 1 tent, or 2 tents...but not 2 trailers, this rule tends to get a little fuzzy depending on the individual parks enforcement .
The rates here have gone up again this year, where we spent last Labor day with gene for $13 a night is now $17 this yr. Another local park has gone up 2 bucks.
Here in MI we have a large number of rustic areas that a family can camp at cheaply long as they don't have to have ele, flush toilets and showers.
(This is from the Calif State Parks Website. Note the "Other" and "Supplementary" fees listed. So far as I know, there are no discounts offered to disabled, seniors, or anyone else. There are areas in some of the desert parks that allow boondocking at no cost. I don't know if there are any other areas in the state where the same thing applies. Other than the desert parks and the beaches, we look usually look for Forest Service sites, many of which are comparable to the State Parks, but at much lower cost. cb)
_____________________________________________________________
Camping Fees Effective July 1, 2004
Reservations and Fees
In addition to the campsite fee, an additional $7.50 for processing a reservation will be included in the price of a campsite. This cost is incurred by Reserve America, a private corporation that contracts with California State Parks to operate the reservation system
Family
Developed $11 - $25
Primitive (Undeveloped) $9 - $15
Group
Developed $53 - $450
Primitive (Undeveloped) $23 - $186
Other
Premium Sites $10 additional per site
Peak Season Rate $3-5 additional per site
Enroute/Overflow Same as campsite fee
Horse (Add $2 per horse for more than 2 horses) $25-$30
Trail/Hike and Bike $3-5 per person
Cabin Rentals $35 - $60
Lake Oroville SRA Floating $100
Supplementary Fees
Showers $.25 - $.50
Sanitation Dump Use - Campers Free
Sanitation Dump Use - Non-campers Same as day use fee
Hook-ups $9 additional per site
Additional Motor Vehicle (Driven, not towed)* Same as vehicle parking
(Day Use Fee)
*Note: Most campsites are limited to two vehicles
For a complete listing of camping fees by park, download the schedule in PDF.
Quote from: jawilsonPA state parks are about $17 for non-resident "familys" (groups of 5 or less). That's for sites with no hook ups.
It depends on the day of the week, and the type of campground. Here is the information from the PA Park website.
FacilityTime FrameResident PriceNon-resident PriceModern Camping without ElectricityPer Week$ 77.00$ 89.00 Per Night Fri-Sat$ 15.00 $ 17.00 Per Night Sun-Thur$ 12.00$ 14.00
Modern Camping with ElectricityPer Week$ 90.00$ 102.00 Per Night Fri-Sat$ 17.00$ 19.00 Per Night Sun-Thur$ 14.00$ 16.00
FacilityTime FrameResident PriceNon-resident PriceRustic Camping without ElectricityPer Week$ 63.00$ 75.00 Per Night Fri-Sat$ 12.00$ 14.00 Per Night Sun-Thur$ 10.00$ 12.00
Rustic Camping with ElectricityPer Week$ 76.00$ 88.00 Per Night Fri-Sat$ 14.00$ 16.00 Per Night Sun-Thur$ 12.00$ 14.00
Delaware State Parks range from $18-31 per night, depending on the park. Those are resident rates; add $4 per night for non-resident.
There are five parks in the system with camping. Lum's Pond has electric on only six sites (the rest (62) are no hookup), Cape Henlopen is water only, Killens Pond and Trap Pond are W/E and Seashore is W/E/S.
Heads up for anyone wanting to come to Seashore Park to camp: The non-hookup part of the park is closed for the next three years, due to construction of the new Indian River Inlet bridge, which will impact the primitive and overflow areas...If you are thinking about coming down to camp there, make a reservation. And soon. This park very popular in the summertime.
Virginia State Parks -
Parkstandardelec. & waterelec., water & sewerprimitiveBear Creek$14 $20 --Claytor Lake$18 $23 --Chippokes-$23 --Clinch Mtn. ---$9 Douthat$22 $23 --Fairy Stone -$23 --False Cape ---$9First Landing $22$28*--Grayson Highlands$18$23 -$11Holliday Lake -$20 --Hungry Mother $18$23 --James River---$11(Group horse)Kiptopeke$22$28$31-Natural Tunnel$14$20--New River Trail, Foster Falls & Cliffview---$13New River Trail, Water Trail (no reservations)---$10Occoneechee$18$23--Pocahontas-$23--Shenandoah River $18---Sky Meadows ---$9 Smith Mtn. Lake$18$23--Stauton River $18$23--Twin Lakes -$20--Westmoreland$18$23--Applicable Virginia sales tax will be added to all fees. Fees are subject to change.* First Landing camping fee for electric & water sites when installed - not yet available
Georgia State Parks (http://www.gastateparks.org/net/go/parks.aspx?s=0.0.1.5&rtype=2) range from $15-25 per night, depending on the park and amenities selected. Water/Electric is common and cable is available in some parks. Additionally, there is a $4 per day vehicle fee (Wednesdays are free) but you can get a year pass for $25 (this pass hangs on the mirror and can be moved between cars).
In addition to state parks there are a lot of Army Corps of Engineers (http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/) campgrounds in Georgia These are usually less than $20 per night including electric.
Now, having just moved here from Maryland I'll talk about them also. Maryland State Parks (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/oc.html) range from $15-40 per night, depending on the park and amenities selected. A few paks also have "double campsites which go for $40-45 per night.
Hi Gene!
I, too, was shocked when I made reservations at Umbagog Lake State Park for this coming July for Mary and I and the 2 other couples! We pay for all the sites as part of our Christmas giving to the rest of the family, but this will probably be the last year!!!
Vermont is $14.00 to $16.00 per night plus a $5.00 reservation fee. There are no hook-ups in any VT State Campground. (At least that I am aware of and I've stayed at almost half of them.)
I look at it from the "return on Investment" angle! Umbagog at $29.00 per night is probably at the upper limit. We camp at Hermit Island, a private CG, that has NO hook-ups, many sites are closer to Pit toilets than flush toilets, and I consider myself lucky to get a site and be able to pay $38.00 to $42.00 per night!
Many states give breaks to Residents under the assumption that their tax dollars help pay for the parks. With all the cutbacks in all states' governments, I doubt that residents pay the difference in taxes. PLUS I would bet that Non-Residents spend more money IN the area because it is harder to haul all that ice, groceries, firewood, oil changing equipment, engine hoist, etc that we've seen at some of the state parks!
In Missouri....
8.00...Basic
14.00...Electric
15.00..Electric/water
17.00..Electric/Water/Sewer
8.50...Reservation Fee
missouri state parks are $14.00 per night for a site with electric. im not sure how much they are without i think they are $8 but not sure
Gosh, I'm gonna print this thread and post it on my office door for those customers who complain that Virginia's rates are too high!! (For those who don't know, I am the O.M. for Pocahontas State Park in central Virginia.)
Here are Virginia's rates:
(depending on park chosen)
Primative (no hookups) $18 - $20
E/W Sites $20 - $23
Kiptopeke (eastern Shore) $28 - $31
There is no extra fee for making advance reservations with the State Park Reservation Center, but if you use ticketmaster on-line, they charge an extra fee. Site is for 6 people or one immediate family.
No daily parking fees required when camping.
Campers receive one free swimming pass for each night of camping.
Sites at most parks include Picnic Table, Ground Grill, 20x20 level tent pad, and lantern holder.
Louise
This is about the standard rate in all North Carolina State parks!some may be more, but after looking most fall in this line ,Primative sites vary.rbCamping- Backpack and canoe-in campsites: $9 per day, per site. Available at New Hope Overlook. Restrooms and shower facilities nearby. Each site has a picnic table, grill and lantern post. Mulch toilets and drinking water nearby.
- Camping in non-electric sites: $15 per day, per site; $10 per day for senior citizens ages 62 and older. Available at Parkers Creek and Poplar Point. Water, restrooms and shower facilities nearby. Campsites include picnic tables and grills.
- Camping in sites with electric and water hookups: $20 per day, per site; $14 a day for senior citizens 62 years of age or older. $40.00 per day for a Duplex Site. Available at Crosswinds Campground, Parkers Creek and Poplar Point. Vista Point offers camping with hookups for recreational vehicles only. A picnic table and grill are found at each campsite. Water, restrooms and shower facilities are nearby. Electric and water hookups are available at the site. Dump stations are nearby and free of charge to campers.Click here to download an application for an RV or tent campsite. (//%22http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/jord/rvtent.pdf%22)
- Group campsites: $40 per day, per site. Parkers Creek has six sites. Vista Point sites are available for group RV camping; all sites contain water and electric hookups. Although these sites are open year round, water to the sites is turned off in the winter. Each site accommodates up to 30 people. Drinking water and restrooms nearby. Reservations required. Click here to download an application for group camping. (//%22http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/jord/groupcamping.pdf%22)
- Reservations for family campsites can be made for a stay of seven days or longer at least two weeks in advance. The maximum stay in any campsite is two weeks.
Tennessee:
Dry Camping Rates, $8-13 in season (April 1 to Oct 31), same out of season.
Water and Electric rates: $17-18.50 in season, 20.50 with sewer in season; $14.25 out of season, 20.50 with sewer out of season.
Rates variable by park. See TN Park Camping Rates (http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/camprates.pdf) for details.
Larry
The Indiana fee is $24 for site with elec. & water (either at site or near site). No fee for reservation. $4 to get in park (if resident).