C&O Canal Entrance Fee Proposal

Rregdab · Jan 9, 2015

The NPS plans to start charging entrance fees for the entire length of the park.
That's right. Every time you launch your boat, go for a walk, run or a ride you'll have to pay up.

Please step up and make your thoughts known.

Jan. 21: Brunswick City Hall, Council Meeting Room, 1 West Potomac Street, Brunswick, Md., 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Jan. 27: C&O Canal Park Headquarters, 1850 Dual Highway, Hagerstown, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Jan. 29: Canal Place, 13 Canal St, 2nd floor, Cumberland, Md., 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Feb. 5: Glen Echo Town Hall, 6106 Harvard Ave, Glen Echo, Md., 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Also when it becomes active please comment on the NPS website here:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=177&projectID=56153&documentID=63244

Please help to put a stop to this.

MentalSquint · Jan 9, 2015

********. Heres a novel idea, increase the taxes on River Riders and stop using our state helicopters to rescue their drunk asses.

lx1x · Jan 9, 2015

Good luck with that.. How many access points are there along the park.

Mooseman · Jan 9, 2015

An entrance fee would kill the canal that is near death already.

llkoolkeg · Jan 9, 2015

That sucks. Although there are lots of access points, certainly, there is limited safe parking IMHO...and I don't like my vehicles towed or broken into. I can't help but hear the Beatles song "Tax Man" ringing in my ears after reading this.

pbharvey · Jan 9, 2015

Would having a federal duck stamp allow you access?

K31 · Jan 9, 2015

pbharvey said:
Would having a federal duck stamp allow you access?

No. That allows you access to Wildlife Refuges like Assateague but not parks.

This blows.

Don H · Jan 9, 2015

I saw this yesterday, made this comment on the NPS website and am sending the following letter to other Scout leaders I know.

As a Scoutmaster who takes his troop every year for a bike trip on the canal the fees would prevent us from using the trail. Even if the fees are waved for youth under 16 we still need to have adult leaders present (unless you want 30 unsupervised kids on the trail!). I don't think there will be many adult leaders willing to pay the $30 fee to take a group of kids biking. If you institute user fees for just using the trail we will find another place to bike.

I am against additional user fees for the C&O canal.

Scout Leaders,
The C&O Canal National Historical park is considering significant increases and instiuting new fees for users beginning this year.
Please review the proposal and consider leaving a comment. The comment period is open for 45 days.
Here's a link to the page where you can access the document on the C&O Canal fee review. You can read the proposals and leave a comment, see link below.

Of concern to us, as a troop are these proposals:
New fees for parking at all locations along the canal.

Per Vehicle Pass:

 Current: $5/person for 3 days Great Falls, MD only  Proposed:

o District of Columbia line to Seneca Creek(near Canal towpath mile 22)  $15for7days

o West of Seneca Creek to Cumberland, MD  $5in2015for7days

New fees per day to use the towpath/trail. Does not apply to youth under 16 but older Scouts and leaders would have to pay.

Per Person Pass:

 Current: $3/person for 3 days Great Falls, MD only  Proposed:

o DistrictofColumbialinetoSenecaCreek(neartowpathmile22)  $7for7days

o West of Seneca Creek to Cumberland, MD  $3in2015for7days

Doubles fees for using campsites. We occasionally use these sites.

Drive-In Campgrounds:

 Group Site Rate: Current $20 per night, Proposed $40 per night

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=177&projectID=56153&documentID=63244

Thanks,
Don

Boom Boom · Jan 9, 2015

Idiotic idea, besides being unmanageable. It's a 50-mile round trip getting there for the several times per year we bike it. Tack on entrance fees and we will bike elsewhere. I'll submit comments to NPS tonight.

Reptile · Jan 9, 2015

Another reason I'm happy to be on the other side of the river just above Dam 5 looking at the park from wild and wonderful WV. Of course, the whole river belongs to Maryland, but what happens when I idle my pontoon boat up to the Maryland shore? Will there be someone there to collect the fee?

Boom Boom · Jan 9, 2015

Reptile said:
Another reason I'm happy to be on the other side of the river just above Dam 5 looking at the park from wild and wonderful WV. Of course, the whole river belongs to Maryland, but what happens when I idle my pontoon boat up to the Maryland shore? Will there be someone there to collect the fee?

Only if they fence us in on the PRMD side and put guards in towers.

BUFF7MM · Jan 9, 2015

Boom Boom said:
Only if they fence us in on the PRMD side.

Don't give them any ideas.

MigraineMan · Jan 9, 2015

This blows. We just took 30+ Cub Scouts plus siblings on a bike-hike from White's Ferry to Edward's Ferry and back. With adults, we probably had 50 people involved. With the new fee structure, we would have nominally 20x ($5 per car + $3 per adult) = $160 in fees. Ouch!

MentalSquint · Jan 9, 2015

Im definitely going to the meeting in brunswick to tell them my views. Sorta like when Ehrlich tried to sell off the public lands. Pretty soon only the rich and affluent will be able to enjoy the wilderness thats left after its subdivided.

StanW · Jan 9, 2015

I wonder how this will affect the vagrant camp on the towpath up by Cumberland. Probably have to relocate them to a nice Federally funded hotel in town.

davsco · Jan 9, 2015

wow, disincentivize people from getting exercise, how stupid is that.

not to mention all the $$$$$ they'll spend on infrastructure and employees to create and man the various toll stations.

it really is sickening when I look at my pay stubs and see the $$$$$ deducted for fed and state taxes and then of course real and personal property taxes on top of that.

Drmsparks · Jan 9, 2015

Would this be covered by a national parks pass?

I hate fees as much as the next guy but the NPS is incredibly and chronically underfunded.

If you don't want fees contact congress and have them actually give the NPS the money they need to maintain the parks.

You can't have it both ways. Fee's or taxes, you have to pay the freight somehow....

Klunatic · Jan 9, 2015

How about we stop giving billions to the countries that hate us and use that money to keep our national parks free.

steves1911 · Jan 9, 2015

I am gonna try and make it to the brunswick meeting. I launch my boat out of mouth of Monocacy ramp mostly but sometimes use one of the others up river a few miles. If they do this I will drive across bridge and start using ramp on va side. I don't even see how they could enforce this with all the access points.

Johnthetoolguy · Jan 10, 2015

I sure don't see how this would fly.
How do they intend to collect fees?
I know the campground I have stayed at multiple times in Paw Paw had one of those things you put your money into.....but how many people actually pay when they stay? :confused:

C&O Canal Entrance Fee Proposal

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