I have rececntly read where the NPS is going to close some of its National Park campgrounds, due largely to budget cuts and reduction in campground usage.

The question is since most NPS campgrounds were designed and built years ago and can't take an RV much bigger than 35 feet (or less), and many modern RV's exceed that size (some by alot), isn't the NPS causing some of this problem by not having modernized their facilities?

You have more people buying current production RV's that are too big to fit in the NPS campground, so they have to go elsewhere.  Now they are not able to use the NPS campgounds, so revenue is falling off.  Because of reduced revenue and budget reductions, more NPS campgrounds close due to "lack of use".

Where will the cycle end?  Will more and more campgrounds close every year until there are very few left, or will the NPS wake up and try to update the size of sites in some of its parks to increase use and revenues?

Best Regards!

I know we would look more closely to use their campgrounds if the sites were bigger. It's frustrating to read about a National Park that sounds cool, only to find if you're larger than 30' you can't fit. So I, for one, wish they would update. But everybody wants to pay less taxes, and have the government spend less money in general.

You can't have it both ways. We have to be willing to pay more to get more. But I don't see that happening any time soon.

I have E Mailed my legislators with concerns about this policy and the general lack of funding of all of our National Forests Camp Grounds.  One did'nt respond the other sent a form E Mail about concern for ecological environmental issues.  I also E Mailed the new group that Good Sams has started that is trying to address issues concerning RVing.  AARP might lend some clout also but it is a major concern for us all and E Mails might help let our concerns be heard.

Do you have the e-mail address for the Good Sam group that we all could also express our thoughts and support?

Thanks!

This could get very spirited! Let's take it a step further with the facts. Actually, visits to NPS have consistently and dramatically been on the decline for 10 years.

Click for a long LATimes article on it.
or
Here for my pdf of it

You've got to read this article as the stats are positively overwhelming. Tent camping down 24% in the period and this is not a function of campground size. Other overnight down 20%. Day visits way down – even Yellowstone! The whos and whys presented in the article are simply incomprehensible – especially the table at the end of the article which may make you cry.

Amazingly the stats point to *indifference* or *fear* by young and minorities. More amazingly, statistically it seems that partaking of our natural wonders just isn't cool (young) or important (minorities). I am floored by the park attendance diversity stats showing very far LESS diversity than in our population at large. Wow. Symbolic of a very much deeper situation? Who knows. But it is a stunning Nationwide cultural transformation.

What are your thoughts? (Please – keep the discussion true to the spirit of RV-Dreams)

Don't necessarily blame the NPS for failing to update their sites and facilities. Please look at years and years of unfunded maintenance issues. If you have visited Yellowstone you have seen the road work. Most parks have not had appropriate finding from congress and our elected leaders for 20 years or more.

In the news this week, Mt Ranier NP had to close due to storm damage and no funds for repairs. Other headlines have talked about a nature deficit in our rising teen agers.

Its' makes more sense to blame our general population and the results of "bread and circuses" voting. As you travel, pay attention to the deteriorating roads and other infrastructure. Our history is disappearing, our heritage is demeaned in the media.

Sorry about the soap box. Your opinions certainly may differ, of course.

MIke

Good Sams Advisory Councile E Mail address is

rvcouncile@goodsamclub.com