Higher camping fees are being charged at Great Basin National Park this year, and campground sites are moving to online reservations.
Recreation.gov, along with being the site to reserve campsites at the national park that hugs Nevada's border with Utah, also will be the place to obtain tickets for cave tours.
The higher fees, which took effect January 1, reflect completed required comparability studies and civic engagement for expanded amenity fee changes.
The new fees include:
- Lower Lehman Campground (per site, per night) $20
- Upper Lehman Campground (per site, per night) $20
- Wheeler Peak Campground $20
- Baker Creek Campground $20
- Grey Cliffs Campground $20
- Lehman Caves Grand Palace Tour, Adult, 90-minutes $15
- Lehman Caves Lodge Room Tour, Adult, 60-minutes $12
- Lehman Caves Grand Palace Tour, Youth (5-15) $8
- Lehman Caves Lodge Room Tour, Youth (5-15) $6
- RV Dump Station $10
The cave tour fee increases cover the cost associated with providing cave tours and reservable tour tickets on www.recreation.gov. Since 2015 Great Basin has been making improvements to park campgrounds; Baker Creek in 2015, Upper Lehman Creek in 2017, and Wheeler Peak in 2021. The improvements have brought in new picnic tables, restrooms, fire pits, grills and tent pads.
The park will also begin providing online reservations through www.recreation.gov for Lower and Upper Lehman Creek Campgrounds in 2021, continue with reservation in Grey Cliff and provide reservations for Wheeler Peak Campground once improvements are completed. The fees have increased to help cover the fee incurred for the reservation system and to maintain the improved campgrounds.
“We are committed to keeping the park affordable. Great Basin currently does not charge a park entrance fee. We also want to provide visitors with the best possible experience,” said Great Basin Superintendent James Woolsey. “The money from camping and cave tours fees goes back into providing visitors with high quality services at those sites.”
Cave tour fees are used to pay for approximately 60 percent of the staff hired to conduct tours, trail maintenance, and other visitor services. Campground fees are used for restroom supplies, staff to clean the restrooms, and maintain the park’s campground infrastructure.
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Comments
A solid business decision by the NPS here. Fully support. Using the rereation.gov platform makes a lot of common sense and really is the way most sites/programs should be reserved system-wide.
I don't know how many times I've driven to Great Basin to camp at Wheeler Peak only to be turned away.
I stayed a couple times in Upper Lehman campground (2019 & 2020) and about the only negative was the constant drive-arounds by wouldxbe campers, hoping for an open site. Reservations will make the experience more pleasant for everyone, those camping and also those looking to camp, since the latter won't need to waste their time seeking and won't suffer the disappointment of finding the park completely full, as happens frequently.
We used to go to Great Basin almost every year and go camping. We would camp nearby the first night, get up early in the morning and arrive at Great Basin early to find someone leaving their campsite. This is the second year in a row I have tried to get reservations and failed for our vacation. The reservation system encourages people to make reservations and abandon them later. It would be great if some percentage of the sites were first come first served. And not just sites at the less-desirable campground. In the summer, camping at high elevation is key in the Great Basin area.
recreation.gov is NOT a governement agency. It is a for profit company that is owned by booz allen/microsoft. The start of recreation.gov goes back to 2001. It is not a good buisiness model. It wastes govt resources and leaves the parks undervisited and campgrounds unused. And it sets a litmus test - a computer/smartphone- along with a secure internet access- to visit OUR public lands. This is all so unacceptable.
And thats not to mention you need a bank account to use recreation.gov setting up yet another litmus test and discriminating against the poor. Which is the whole point of all this
sorry- it goes back to 2002
Here is more info from the horses mouth
https://www.doi.gov/ocl/recreationgov
The federal government works through a service provider. That's not all that unusual, and they've had different contractors over the years. I even remember when some campground reservations could be made through Ticketron.
So what's your answer to all this when it's just a basic fact of life that people use credit cards and have bank accounts? So they're going to need to wait in line at TicketMaster to pay cash? At this point in time where even the poorest people have basic smart phones?
It's certainly not impossible to reserve without the internet by calling in. But I have no idea why you're moaning about the internet being used for anything. But if anyone is really worried about it, they can spend time talking to an operator at 877-444-6777.
My answer?
Non of this was neededl. Recreation.gov is a money grab.
How about we let our federal agency's operate as designed and not allow corporatet corruption into the mix?
And if you have no idea why needing internet access and or a computer is a problem than clearly your are out of touch with average folks
All I know is that I listen to the radio and hear Comcast advertise their Internet Essentials program. I've been to public libraries with free internet. I've been to poor neighborhoods where everyone still has a smart phone. And Recreation.gov contractor still runs a toll-free phone number with operators to take orders. I mean - maybe you think that there are people who don't have internet access, but in my world it's easy enough for people to get subsidized service. Some are even free, which I'm sure is part of some government initiative.
From Comcast:
https://www.internetessentials.com
From AT&T:
https://www.att.com/internet/access/
Verizon:
https://www.verizon.com/info/low-income-internet/
Cox:
https://www.cox.com/residential/internet/low-cost-internet-plans.html
The real issue is how much money booz makes.
The fees need to be capped and the 15 dollars charged shared with land management agencies. How much does booz make from this thing?