America The Beautiful Park Pass Implemented

[PancakeBill]

Wendy, well gosh, I thought it was too good to be true.

Where did your husband work?  Which park or parks?

[Wendy]

Wendy, well gosh, I thought it was too good to be true.

Where did your husband work?  Which park or parks?

Wouldn't it be nice if it did work that way? 

Mike worked in Death Valley, Everglades, Gulf Islands (Florida), San Antonio Missions, and Hovenweep Nat Mon on the Colorado-Utah border. We even had to spend 3 months at Grand Canyon while he was at training. Before the National Park Service, he worked for the Forest Service in Dolores Colorado. It was a great life and he'd still be at it if he hadn't had to quit tromping up and down canyons. Of course, now we get to travel and visit the parks we want to see and we never, ever have to be polite to park visitors unless we want to 

Wendy
St Vrain SP, Longmont CO

[PancakeBill]

polite.  Yeah but I bet you always want to and when you don't just avoid it.

One of the interp raner couples we work with spend their winters at Death Valley.  Not sre how long they havebeen doing t though.  What type of work did your husband do?  Interpretive? 

[Wendy]

What type of work did your husband do?  Interpretive? 

With the forest service, he cut down trees, started fires (controlled burns) and put out fires (uncontrolled burns). With the park service, he started as an interp/fee collector and did mostly interp. At Hovenweep, he was law enforcement, interp, maintenance, EMT, fee collection.....an old style ranger who did it all.

I did interp and campground hosting as a volunteer.

We were at Death Valley 1983-1985 and 1986-1988, also hosted at Sunset Campground 2 winters ago. Volunteering is fun....you can quit.

Wendy
St Vrain SP, Longmont CO

[jackm]

Gary, Maddog, et all,

Sorry about the delay but been on the golf course, have to take advantage of a beautiful day in the Northwest when they arrive!!  Yes, my pass says SENIOR PASS across the front and it does say "50% discount on certain fees" on the back.  Poor Wendy is probably turning blue with all this "confussion"!! I remember questioning the camping discount at Grand Canyon while we there this winter. They said no, so I didn't bring it up at the other parks. I'll be a little more "inquisitive" in the future. Regardless, for $10 bucks, you just can't beat any discount!!

[RV Roamer]

I think the campground at GC South Rim is a concession, so discounts do not apply.

[Wendy]

I think the campground at GC South Rim is a concession, so discounts do not apply.

There is an NPS campground at South Rim - no hookups, discounts apply, size limit. There is also Trailer Village, a concession-operated RV park with full hookups and no discounts.

Wendy

[Darin]

There is an NPS campground at South Rim - no hookups, discounts apply, size limit. There is also Trailer Village, a concession-operated RV park with full hookups and no discounts.

Wendy

What do you mean, "size limit", and, no hookups, so can you run your generator if you need to?

[jackm]

We stayed at the campground, no hookups, the Trailer Village was full. We made the reservation through the concessionaire (Xantera, I think). Didn't get a discount for camping, but did get free access to the park.

[Wendy]

Mather Campground, the NPS campground at South Rim, has a 30-foot limit on RVs. There are no hookups but you can run your generator during specified hours. There is a dump station and water spigots scattered throughout the campground. You can find info on the campground here.

There's also Desert View campground, another NPS campground, on the far east end of the south rim. It also has a 30-foot limit and no hookups and is only open in summer.

Enjoy
Wendy

[melvonnar]

Spent 5 days at a Corp of Engineers park for half price just two weeks ago. You have to have the Senior Pass for the 50% discount, even if you already have the standard one and are over 62.

Further down on the card it says:Being a senior gets you the 50% off on camping fees and some other fees, except for things operated by a concessionaire. It can get convoluted sometimes as to what is free, what is 50% discount and what is full price, but mostly we get either free or half off. Parking at Mt Rushmore is the most irritating exception I know of - no discount at all there because it is a concessionaire owned and operated parking facility. The admission is "free" but you can't go in with a vehicle without paying the parking fee (there is no other parking).

http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm

Thats known as a gotsha

[carson]

Let us not go into a political discussion here...


   BOO-HOO, you get free entry but also don't want to pay for parking...

I guess our taxes should pay for everything. Maybe that's what's  wrong with our country right now... too many freeloaders.

   Happy thanks-giving holiday.

carson FL

[maddog348]

carson ~~ really old post  ~ who are you responding to??

[carson]

My bad...guess I should've looked at the dates.  Principle is the same,

I'll crawl back into my hole.. 

carson

[PancakeBill]

One thing about the Pass, it is great, only reason I am looking forward to 8/8/11.  Get my pass that day.  However, seems like everyone that gets one wants discounts no matter where they are.  OK, not everyone, but working in the park, I lost count pretty quickly of folks wanting a discount with us.  I went and read the booklet.  It is very vague, to the point that it is worth asking. 

Before season starts next year I am going to find out where the Pass discounts are and print it up.  We offered our own discounts when you joined our Association, but many folks with the pass, poohed it. 

[melvonnar]

There is an NPS campground at South Rim - no hookups, discounts apply, size limit. There is also Trailer Village, a concession-operated RV park with full hookups and no discounts.

Wendy

Its called Ten X
been there; not a bad campground; but as said---no hookups, its across from the airport before you get to the entrance to the park.

[Wendy]

Melvonnar - Looks like you got your response in the middle of my quote. I fixed it and moved it outside the quote.

As for Ten-X campground, it is a US Forest Service campground, outside the national park. I was referring to Mather Campground which is inside the park. Neither has hookups, both give the America the Beautiful discount. Ten-X is cheaper than Mather. Mather is very convenient to the village and shuttles at Grand Canyon.

Wendy