I believe the reservation website is run by a third party, not the NPS. The issue is the parking lots at the summit of Cadillac get filled. They could simply close the road when the lot is full. Cell phones or walkie talkies would make summit-to-road entrance communication easy.
Seems like a cash grab. A few years ago, in October (off peak) they tried to require the same type of reservation to drive on the 20 mile loop road. It was a (bleep)show—traffic jams, people without reservations just sent away onto secondary roads, jamming up local streets as many had no idea where they were, etc.
There is a hardcore segment of a major political party (not getting political here, mods, just giving a history lesson) which believes in User Fees. Expect more, not less. The theory is that if you enjoy a national park, the folks who bowl or love watching NASCAR shouldn’t be subsidizing you since you aren’t subsidizing them.
I think what you call a “cash grab” is a tentative start at a full on attack on “public goods” and public spaces.
But note first of all that the original contract award was in 2016 and that recreation.gov has certainly improved on many of the systems that existed before. I remember applying for Yosemite wilderness permits about 15 years ago, when you had to send a fax(!) and wait for an email response a week later. Some areas were even worse, you either had to phone up at exactly 7am PT or they only allowed mail-in applications and you had no idea what was available. Or you had to walk-in and hope something was left when you got there.
The whole process is much simpler nowadays, but because it’s easy to use, more people apply, and those people who formerly knew how to navigate the quirks of the system no longer have an advantage (and often complain about it).
Also wanted to note that the introduction of reservations for entry is a recent response to try and limit overuse. That mostly stems from environmental studies that indicate too many visitors are degrading natural habitats and require actions to mitigate these concerns:
I think people traveling a long way want to know they have a reservation as they don’t want to drive all the way there only to find out they can’t get it.
We have state/county run parking lots for the trailheads of popular trails (usually 14ers). Tomorrow morning they will be full at 5:30 am. Then cars will park for up to a mile along the road leading to the parking lots. That annoys the locals. Others will go later in the day when the 5:30s have climbed and gone home, but that’s not good either because the weather will turn at some point so you need to be up and down by about 2 pm (noon ideally).
The people arriving at 6 am wish they could have made a reservation.
Gosh, I visited Acadia National Park with friends in the early 1980’s. We didn’t need reservations, we never ran into crowds, we were among the few watching sunrises on Cadillac Mountain. Granted, it was June and pre-high season in those days, but it’s hard for me to wrap my head around the changes. I don’t remember crowds in the Smokies either, when we camped there with our kids 25 years ago. Sometimes the changes make me feel really out of touch with things.
There’s also an adjustment factor. When we were at Carlsbad Caverns last year, we met several people who didn’t get in and were complaining that “when I came here 10 years ago you didn’t need to book, you just turned up”. And others who were amazed by our photos of the Kings Palace and just didn’t know that you had to book it at precisely 7am PT a couple of months in advance. (Incidentally that’s one of the tours that is no longer available due to staff cuts this year, which is a huge shame).
When I was at Yosemite, both the group leader and Yosemite Conservancy ranger discussed the reservation system and the changes over the last few years.
The group leader seemed against it, partly because the gateway communities lost business and she had connections to them. If people didn’t know they could get into the park, they wouldn’t come stay and eat and shop there. And people who didn’t know about it got mad when they got turned away after traveling some distance. Apparently plenty of people were being turned away at the gate, adding to the time in line waiting.
The ranger basically was in favor because without any limit, people would park anywhere they liked - on fields, along roads, etc. It was causing a great deal of damage and made long backups not only at the entrances, but also within the park.
They both agreed the reservation system was not easy to maneuver, and that there was no easy solution.
We had to book camping in federal (and state) campgrounds at a certain date and time. Was it fair that those who knew the system got the ‘best’ spots year after year and others got shut out? I might have thought it was unfair if I didn’t benefit from it because my friends knew the system.
I visited Acadia last fall. It was too crowded to be enjoyable. For the popular national parks, you have to time a visit carefully to avoid crowds or find alternative, less well known parks. We found Campobello island to have similar scenery to Acadia (and a historic home) with no crowds at all.
One of the times we went to Maui was right after reservations were required to go to Haleakala at sunrise. The cost of the reservation was minimal - maybe less than a dollar, and definitely less than 5.
I thought it was a good thing, because there isn’t a ton of parking at the top, and it helped with crowd control.
I did feel bad because people were being turned away, which is not fun when you get up in the middle of the night and drive a ways to experience something you may not ever get to do again…
In Shenandoah, if you want to hike Old Rag you have to get one of the limited number of tickets available each day. 400 tickets released 30 days in advance - the other 400 tickets 5 days prior. The ticket doesn’t guarantee parking. So 800 hikers per day. Ticket is $2. Why this system? Just way too many people. Congestion, safety issues and ecological concerns.
We have been fortunate thus far to have largely avoided having to make reservations and pay extra fees. I guess we often end up going on “shoulder” or “off” season. It’s fine with us because it’s less crowded and somehow when we happen to be there. I’d like to say it’s my great planning but honestly it has been a happy coincidence. Even Yellowstone, Yosemite, Muir Woods, Disneyland, WIlliamsburg, Glacier, Alaska, Acadia, pretty much most of the places we go.
My beef is not with any reservation systems—it’s over the idea that parks are supposed to be free for senior citizens with the $80 America the Beautiful pass, and at $6 per reservation, that’s far from free. Maybe (a) charge less than $6 which sounds high and (b) waive the fee if you have the lifetime free pass.
Either something or it is not free—being “kinda free” is similar to being “kinda pregnant”…
There have always been limits to what is “free” with a pass. Tours aren’t free, camping isn’t free, wilderness permits aren’t free. The senior pass is now $80 for a lifetime, instead of $10 (which was the case until 2017), it’s the same as the annual pass but you only pay once (unless you lose the card). I don’t understand why seniors would feel entitled to free access to National Parks? It’s still a great deal.
I take offense at your use of “entitled”----I don’t feel entitled to anything but if the government makes the offer, then why should I not take advantage of it???
“Entitled” makes it sound like I’m demanding something I don’t deserve. Similarly “entitlements” is a term used by some to make it sound like seniors are sponging off the government—we are not, just claiming things we paid for.
I was not intending to give offense, I was simply using the verb “entitled to” in its traditional sense as “have a legal right to”. That’s where the phrase “entitlements” comes from (benefits established by law). That’s how I would use it in British English, where it is not in any way a value judgement.
This is a really interesting discussion of how the meaning (when used as an adjective, ie an entitled person) has been changed in American English over the last few decades, initially in psychology and more recently and deliberately by US conservative writers to have negative connotations (apparently as part of an attack on entitlements):
I’ve always felt that admission to the parks helped maintain them, so have felt “good” about paying it. Needless to say, I hope that is actually true and that it doesn’t change under this administration.
I felt the same except now hearing that the reservation fees are going to Booz Allen. I assume the entrance fees are still going to NPS butBooz Allen gets rich for administering the reservation? I hate that. I’ll try to go when or where I don’t have to make a reservation.
I don’t have an issue with a reservation or fee system for entry. My beef with the national parks is with the lodging concessionaires. The price for accommodations is much too high and the quality is often poor. The same applies to the meals served. The National Park Service needs to do something to crack down on these concessionaires.