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Read Thread: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1

Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939779 by roo
Dec 31, 2016 9:58pm
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I was disappointed Florida State Parks are not free. But there is a guided nature walk today I'm going to try to attend. $8 for my closest state park fee. I don't go there enough to make an annual pass worth it.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939811 by FloridaFour
Dec 31, 2016 11:32pm
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$8 means it's a popular park with over 1,000,000 people a year. Busy park! :-)
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939779 by roo
Jan 1, 2017 4:52am
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If I wasn't working all day today, I'd definitely be participating. The event being held at Walden Pond looks especially interesting!
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939811 by FloridaFour
Jan 1, 2017 6:02am
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I was disappointed Florida State Parks are not free.

Yes, and just over the past few years many that had been free started charging, and those that had been charging increased their fees.

I was much happier on a trip to Missouri, where the taxpayers voted to set aside 0.1 cent of their sales taxes to fund the state parks. As a result, their state parks are all free, and they are clearly well-funded. And the park officials aren't having to lobby for adequate funding. That kinda thing needs to be done here in FL and in every other state.

I don't go there enough to make an annual pass worth it.

Things are even worse here. SWMBO is neurotic about such things, so if we spent the money on an annual pass -- even if it was cheap -- she'd be constantly fretting about whether or not we're getting our money's worth out of it. When we are actually in one of the state parks trying to enjoy ourselves, she'd constantly be thinking "Am I having enough fun to justify that annual pass?" Which of course would mean she's NOT having enough fun. So, we never get such passes. Right now, we're waiting until we turn 65 to see if that makes the situation any better.

Here in FL, I have long suspected that the real reason for those admission fees is to keep out the riffraff. We have a lot of riffraff in this state, perhaps because homeless people can live outdoors year 'round without freezing to death. A state park would be a great place to set up a homeless camp since it has nice bathrooms and plenty of woods to hide in.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939830 by Kirbert
Jan 1, 2017 8:07am
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Here in FL, I have long suspected that the real reason for those admission fees is to keep out the riffraff. We have a lot of riffraff in this state, perhaps because homeless people can live outdoors year 'round without freezing to death.

Believe me. Entrance fees don't keep anyone out who wants to do such a thing.

65 won't do you any good on state entrance fees, currently there is no senior discount, how ever there is one for veterans. . That's the national parks that have a discounted pass.

I don't think you'd get people in this state to vote on a sales tax increase or anything to go to state parks. They already think their taxes go to the state parks (which they don't) and there's no telling them differently especially when they're upset that something isn't to their liking.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939811 by FloridaFour
Jan 1, 2017 9:14am
Thread (disabled) Board
I was disappointed Florida State Parks are not free.

I have to admit that I was a bit surprised when I started hanging out in Florida and I had to pay to get into the parks. No wonder I am in love with the Pennsylvania state park system. We pay no fees to enter state parks.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939830 by Kirbert
Jan 1, 2017 10:24am
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Missouri State Parks got me into Letterboxing. In the late 90s they had a passport program. You got a book or "Passport" listing all the state parks. Each park was on a page with a photo and brief description of the park and something unique about the park. There was a space at the bottom of each page to log date and time and brief sentence and a blank space. When you got to the park you went to the Park Ranger Office and they would have a stamp to stamp your passport. Sometimes it was the name of the park, sometimes it was an image like someone canoeing or hiking or a physical thing associated with the park like a waterfall or mill. These stamps were made for the parks. Shortly after that a friend got me into geocaching and while geocaching we found a hybrid that had a letterbox. I've been hooked on letterboxing ever since.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939837 by DM Scuba Brat
Jan 1, 2017 2:43pm
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I don't think you'd get people in this state to vote on a sales tax increase or anything to go to state parks. They already think their taxes go to the state parks (which they don't)...

So, float a ballot initiative for an amendment to the state constitution to the effect that 0.1 cent of the existing sales taxes are earmarked for the state parks, and in concert the admission fees are eliminated. They'd vote for it just to save the admission fees.

State parks is one of the few expenditures that taxpayers don't mind their dollars being spent on.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939830 by Kirbert
Jan 1, 2017 3:51pm
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I always cringe when I hear people moaning and groaning about our state parks here in FL. An example is someone will freak over paying $5 (for a car load) to get into Blue Springs State Park or $6 (per person) for Ichetucknee Springs State Park but yet think nothing of $100+ (per person) to a theme park.

While every state runs them differently I would not change a thing about ours.

Our FL State Parks are self funded with the exception of a miniscule percentage of real estate transactions (from doc stamps).

An extra tax may work in some states. But not all. Look at Connecticut. We don't live there anymore but we still visit a couple of times a year and their state park system is in terrible shape.

When we lived there was $8 for residents $10 for non residents but now Hammonasset and Rocky Neck Beaches are $13 for residents and $22 for non residents.

High taxes AND high admission fees yet this past summer they started closing many of their state parks during the week, being open only on weekends and some parks just being closed altogether.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939857 by Three FLAmigo's
Jan 2, 2017 7:26am
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If my plan was to spend the day at a state park swimming, hiking, whatnot, having to pay $6 or $8 per carload wouldn't bother me. But when all I wanna do is hunt for a geocache or two and perhaps a letterbox and then move on, that few bucks is a showstopper. So, we generally only hunt caches and boxes in state parks on free admission days.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939779 by roo
Jan 2, 2017 8:13am
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Indiana State Parks don't charge admission in the winter. I think admission is free Nov-Feb.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939815 by DM Scuba Brat
Jan 2, 2017 10:14am
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Yes, Honeymoon Island State Park, I think the Ranger told us it was #1 busiest. But only a few people on the actual trails. People just go to the beach. Sadly, because we saw Osprey, owls and an eagle! It does have a wonderful dog beach, though!

A lot of the money goes towards beach sand replenishment. As soon as they spend $1 million on pumping in sand, we get a big storm and lose it all.

So I don't mind the $8 fee to fight nature, but I was just hoping for once a year, a freebie. Maybe they have it on another day. I'll have to check.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939845 by Procyon
Jan 2, 2017 10:25am
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Hmmmm.. I have no idea if our state Park has a stamp....

I know all the lighthouses do. I just got 2 cool ones from St Augustine lighthouse.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939900 by FloridaFour
Jan 2, 2017 10:29am
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Veteran's Day is traditionally the free day for FPS. :)

And yes, there are stamps! They're usually at the ranger station. Ask for the passport stamp. some parks have extra stamps for fun. Land of Mermaids (cuz I can't spell Weeki Watchi right) has a mermaid in addition to the standard park name stamp we all have.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939857 by Three FLAmigo's
Jan 2, 2017 10:30am
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I would pay for an annual pass if my family liked going to parks and camping, but they don't. We literally hadn't been to a FL state park in 3 years.

Most if the bigger parks here are free or cost $2, including one that has some cute cabins. I'm actually going to look into those... no lake to canoe in, though, at that park. But it's not so busy. It's quiet. Good for bike rides and walks, that's about it.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939887 by christmas6
Jan 2, 2017 11:49am
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Have been to some state parks (Not Indiana) that expect you to still pay the fee in the winter but only have a drop box for the entrance fees. Bet they don't see much in those boxes.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939912 by IrishRef
Jan 2, 2017 11:53am
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Michigan has an option to add a small fee to your car registration and you don't have to deal with the entrance fees. if you go a lot, it's a great deal. if you don't, they get a few extra dollars. I just wish they would add an option to include our metro parks, too.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939901 by FloridaFour
Jan 2, 2017 6:15pm
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Popular scuba diving sites, such as springs, often have stamps, too.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939903 by FloridaFour
Jan 2, 2017 6:17pm
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We literally hadn't been to a FL state park in 3 years.

Most if the bigger parks here are free or cost $2...

Methinks you haven't been to one in 3 years. The parks that used to cost $2 now cost $6.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939914 by BaliWho
Jan 2, 2017 9:57pm
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I have seen a few that the fees are either free or discounted for state residents. Giving residents a break for already supporting the parks with income taxes.
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939887 by christmas6
Jan 3, 2017 5:33am
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That's good to know!
Re: Free hiking at state parks Jan 1
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #939931 by Kirbert
Jan 5, 2017 9:28am
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I just read that the entrance fee for the Everglades went from $10 to $25 this year.