Why do campgrounds charge for visitors?

[Mynyel]

We are looking to camp for a few days in NW Pennsylvania and I can't help put notice that a lot of campgrounds charge for a day visitor. Why is that?

 

I mean visitors as in people coming to sit with others that are already staying there.

[ErinE]

The visitor is on the land using the roads and facilities. Why wouldn't the campground charge for day visitors?

[plath]

Probably to discourage noisy partiers. I know I like a quiet camping experience and more people= more noise.

[Pawz4me]

I think it's on the assumption that the visitors will be using services--a pool or any other recreational opportunities, etc. Plus extra water and sewer use if the camper they're visiting has full hook ups. And I also think it's an attempt to discourage visitors. If there's a pool and several campers have visitors who go to the pool, then it potentially cuts down on the enjoyment of the pool by other campers who're paying to stay there. More people in the campground means more opportunity for disagreements, etc. Visitors are just another potential hassle for campground management.

[GoVanGogh]

As a way to control access and cut down on inappropriate behavior on site.

Funding - upkeep of roads, parks, bathroom facilities.

 

A day visitor may cause as much, if not more, wear and tear on a park/camp facility than overnight guests. (Not saying that happens generally, but can be true.)

[jenn-]

I assume visitors will used the toilet and wash their hands at least once or twice on a given trip. Annoying as it is, most campgrounds are just trying to stay afloat.

[GoVanGogh]

I think it's on the assumption that the visitors will be using services--a pool or any other recreational opportunities, etc. Plus extra water and sewer use if the camper they're visiting has full hook ups. And I also think it's an attempt to discourage visitors. If there's a pool and several campers have visitors who go to the pool, then it potentially cuts down on the enjoyment of the pool by other campers who're paying to stay there. More people in the campground means more opportunity for disagreements, etc. Visitors are just another potential hassle for campground management.

 

I was thinking about this in my post, posted at the same time.

 

Say you have a great park/camp facility, complete with a pool and pavilions. Local people are going to want to use it for large gatherings, such as graduations and reunions. That can cause a lot of wear and tear on a facility, make it less desirable for people that actually paid to camp there - not to mention the mess a large party can leave behind.

Charging a day use fee discourages or limits such usage, puts some responsibility on the visitors.

[poppy]

Yes, it is to discourage people from turning their site into a gathering spot for friends. Other campers appreciate a relatively quiet atmosphere without a lot of random outsiders wandering around the sites.

 

Also, camps are pretty cash strapped, and day use fees help them from raising camping fees. It's still amazing to me, how cheap camping is. I am spending a week on Cape Code for about $100 this summer.

[QueenCat]

Well I suppose that while they are in part funded by taxes, they still need more money to keep going? I don't know.

 

Many campgrounds are private facilities. Not all are in state or national parks.

[Mynyel]

Alright, that answered the question. I wasn't thinking of pools and such. :)

[TravelingChris]

While we haven't camped in a few years, I would think that a major reason is to discourage it. Other such restrictions include how many cars can be at a campsite. Many camps have group campsites and that is where groups should go. Campsites are usually fairly small and that is why a lot of them have restrictions on how many people can camp in a given site. Our one camping trip that we had to leave the park because of humans was because the next site over had a group, not a family, and they stole our picnic bench and were drinking and carousing. There were a lot of them there. We eventually got our money back (which was an ordeal since we were camping in Canada and had returned to the US. BUt we did get it back)>

[sparrow]

:seeya: Private campground owner chiming in.

 

Everybody has pretty much covered it. We charge a visitors fee because visitors are using our facilities. Even if they are just using the restrooms, that is toilet paper and the additional cleaning maintenance, but they're using the roads, the docks, etc.

 

I love that everybody in this thread understands! We have people that give us a hard time about it sometimes :001_rolleyes: .

[LucyStoner]

Well I suppose that while they are in part funded by taxes, they still need more money to keep going? I don't know.

 

 

States have been increasingly switching to a user based fee for service model for parks as their tax revenues have declined. Budget cuts tend to hit parks first as it is understandably less palatable to cut 911 service or something people see as critically important.

 

Most all state parks here, camp grounds or not, have a day use fee now. You can pay by the day or buy an annual pass when you renew your car tabs which is good for the whole year. We buy the pass and use it a lot. While I wish that the state didn't need to cut the budget like that, I can see the logic for having those who use the parks chip in towards the costs.