should national/state parks be free???

They are certainly not America's gifts to its citizen. That's the sort of paradigm that allows for such a thing as charging money for existing on Earth. If anything, they're Eath's gift to Life.

 

The usual justification is "people will ruin it" - maintenance by rangers, etc.

I do sympathize with this view, because I don't want to wade through trash in a natural environment. People could damage foliage, hurt animals, burn stuff. I don't know. I've seen a lot of damage in well-staffed parks so I don't know if that can be prevented.

 

How was it in the free days? ....

 

I understand too, what about having a little faith in Americans to clean up after the idiots?

 

Over game hunting/poaching, wild cattle mixing with domestic/farm cattle (diseases/viruses), no litter/trash pick up and probably more. I wish National/State parks could be free but i thinking the preservation quality of the park would diminish.

 

You think there were no garbage men or streetsweepers the streets would be clean?

 

There are lots of hippies who care about Natural lands. Perhaps not as many care so much about streets because they are already garbage.

 

I haven't had the opportunity to camp in other parts of the country, but I can think of several places on the southern east coast to primitive camp for free. If you go to a campsite with bathrooms, showers, picnic shelters I don't really see a problem with paying. If someone insists on using services like that instead of roughing it, then the money to pay for it has to come from somewhere.

"It comes from our taxes" isn't really valid reasoning because we all know money for any kind of public entertainment like that is being cut like crazy to make way for other programs. If the funding is being cut and the people that use campsites like that don't want to pay for it, then those campsites get shut down.

I do think primitive camping should be free. Like I said, I don't know how it is in other parts of the country but around my area I can think of a million places to camp for free.

 

Some places are $25 with no facilites just to put up a tent or park a RV or even worse you cant do either its crazy and if you camp elsewhere their is a fine of up to $500 I am talking the west coast Cali, Nervada and Utah parts of Arizona too unless you head way out- I agree if it has swimming pools showers and other things to maintain then sure pay for the services.. toilets should be a human right as with running water.. Free or low cost camping should be provided too not just horrible paved sites. $5 per tent should cover the toilet cleaning seems a fare price if any to me!

 

Best 'rest areas' are in New Mexico you cant park any longer than 12 hours and they are usually very beautiful in location and clean rest rooms, above all they are free!
My advice if your travelling on a budget rest up in these area's granted you cant put a tent up tho you can be there overnight at most locations across the USA. Free camp spots in Washington and Oregon but you need to travel out quite far as the rangers dont seem to fussed in these states if your out of site out of mind kinda thing..

Keep the land free and have faith in your fellow human...
just ignore the dicks and eventually they go away :2thumbsup: if not spend time talking and educating, some people clearly lack any guidance. We are all on this earth together :love:

 

Good answer :2thumbsup:

 

Agreed i mean so little here is free or given freely why not start by seeing how well people look after there own shite by just leaving a dumperster present all this pack in and pack out is second nature to us, but some people are just stupid and bins should be provided where there are alot of humans about it just makes sense ....

 

If you do not want to pay go to a national forest, most places it has free land use and is prettier anyway.
National/state parks have upkeep such as snow removal, restroom facilities, road maintenance, etc which all cost money.

I leave the parks to the tourists.

 

On the west coast (mainly south) beaches are mainly parks. I have not come across any that are free... heading to San diego to see if there is any around that area tomorrow, wish us luck! $10 to park to walk on a beach seems outragous!

 

$25 dollars is crazy when there aren't any facilities. You should come do some camping on the east coast lady, I have a ton of campsites I could recommend

I never understand when I go to a state park, pay a couple of bucks to get in (even the state parks around here, with shower facilities, charge a very reasonable amount for entrance) yet there are no garbage cans. People that are respectful of the earth know to take their shit out with them, but the average family coming to a state park on a day trip probably don't think twice about leaving their trash behind when there are no trash cans.

Thats another thing....I wouldn't mind paying a dollar or two to cover trash fees if it means I can walk through nature without seeing litter everywhere.

 

The only way I will ever step foot back in the states is to exchange in a community at wounded knee that i missed being able to visit this time around due to fuel costs- if I make it back I shall be sure to give you a shout lady, thank you xxx

 

The only way I will ever step foot back in the states is to exchange in a community at wounded knee that i missed being able to visit this time around due to lack of funds to risk the trip by road & this is my sons journey to be honest - if I make it back I shall be sure to give you a shout lady, thank you xxx

 

It should be free. no reason to even charge. its just greed imo.

 

Greed is huge here,
i know i know I wanted to be proved wrong but out of all the people I have met only few have got the spirit of love, and we have met thousands on our road trip I totally feel washed out by the journey and after 4 days in LA it is hard to keep the energy up and smiling ...

May peace be with you, your gunna need it!
Home sweet home tomorrow we fly and it cant come qik enuff, a country that's only concern is what is in your wallet, I will no longer defend the states it is what the world feels it is 'doomed' unless people open there hearts... I hope they do and i hope you all reading this help them too ....

Kindness is in the eyes start looking into each others soul hey!

 

I would think it was horrible if there was money coming from somewhere else, or nobody causing damage that took money to prevent/repair.

But that's not the case.

In fact, I think even so, park money should not only be much higher, but taken from taxes, and then when you roll up you should be all paid off and ready to explore. But that's not how it is, we have a "tea party" culture of stupidity, greed, and paranoia, and parks don't have enough rockets or tanks to seem worthy of funding.