Is it me or has the price to camp gone through the roof.....holy cow, most places want $45 a night with no services....
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Is it me or has the price to camp gone through the roof.....holy cow, most places want $45 a night with no services....
Yup
You may want to consider heading across the border. State parks are typically between 20 and 30
Go crown land. It's free. 45 a night is ridiculous!
The last time I went to a Provincial park it was around $20.....I blamed the increased costs then on the increasing demands for comfort in the parks.
When the kids were young we used to pay $6....clearing in the trees an fire pit, water from a tap 1/2 mile away and there were some nasty outhouses scattered around the park.
Now they all have huge public bathroom complexes complete with running water and hot showers , gift shops, Wild Life Edu-Centres, convenience stores etc etc..soon there will be free WiFi.
Which came first the chicken (cost) or the egg (comforts) :)
I was also surprised at the rates for a site these days. We used to do quite a bit of camping when our kids were young, and we just started getting back into it with our grandkids. Rates have about doubled over that time.
In 2008 we park parked our 30ft gulfstream and pay about $2750.00 per season, which works out to $130 per weekend (21 Saturdays). It is worth the full time summer use each weekend and during holidays. Bonus is no packing up Thur eve to leave Friday, then early pack up Sunday morning. We only take a cooler and laundry basket down and home each weekend. Plus you get to meet like minded people who become friends as well.
I just stayed for one night at Silent Lake PP. I asked for the most basic campsite they had. It cost me $38. I thought that was rather steep.
On my annual canoe trips, I now try to avoid provincial parks.
Yea I agree, I purchase a camper last year . It's my first . Started looking at camp sights and was surprised at the cost.
I was paying that for a hotel in the USA.
Oh well I guess I'll just have to camp in the USA
For the past ten years my BIL has been working at Silent Lake and telling me about all his perks and benefits. This summer he retired and on Father's Day spent a weekend near the Ottawa River at a provincial park. First time camping in many years. Last week I saw his camper for sale in the local paper. He wants to trade in his new econo boost for a Rav4....
Everyone's costs are rising.
I also wonder if some places that have both camping and cabins are seeing their cabins empty but the tent areas full and figure by increasing the cost that it might push some people to stay in a cabin instead.
I have nothing but praise for our provincial park system. The accommodations are first class and modern. The staff is courteous and well organized. The grounds are very clean and upkeep is a full time job for them. It all comes at a cost and various tiers of service are available to everyone including free camping on crown land. So, pick the level of service that fits your budget.
All true, however when I started camping a serviced site was about 2/3 the cost of one in a private campground. Not the case any longer -- pretty close to even now.Quote:
Originally Posted by impact
I was just having this conversation the other day with a friend of mind. In 1995 at the age of 15 I started working in a Provincial Park. The price to camp on an non-serviced lot was $16.00. Now the cost has pretty well doubled. Its a tough pill to swallow but given that that was nearly 20 years ago and the popularity of camping has risen significantly during that time frame, I can see why the price has inflated. I don't have a problem spending that at a PP, but more than that for private campgrounds is a major rip off.
changes started about 10-12 years ago.someone decided the parks should be a money maker not just a service. So along came the new logo,parks started selling fire wood,ice,renting equiptment,building yurts and cabins,visitor centres,adding more sites with electricity. The prices are reflecting that. They even now charge premium surcharges for sites on the water. Where I go the price has gone from 13 bucks a night in 1989 to 48 bucks for the same electrical on the water site.
53 dollars to put a tent on a non electric camp site for 1 night last weekend. I don't mind paying it, time well spent with my son, very clean and comftorable parks.
The rates went up when the ministry started cancelling programs and closing parks.
A few parks had to beg and plead to not be closed, and any financial losses will fall on the municipality (as was the deal) so they opened up a lot more lots as seasonals and rates increased, if it keeps the gates open, for the few times we do use them, I don't see it as a big burden.
I guess camping is out of the question for my family...Quote:
Originally Posted by TurkeyRookie
$50 a night is ridiculous... Especially when you can get a hotel for not much more.. ($60) personally I would rather sleep in a tent... The wife... She doesn't think that way.
Spent a lot of time in the parks when my kids were young, hadn't camped in years, then my grandkids and their parents start the cycle and I find out the cost has tripled, I realize things increase in price with time, but seems to me its getting to the point where its difficult for some young parents to get out for a week or 2 like we used to. $500.00 plus for 2 weeks and you haven't eaten, had a cold beer or bought your kids a treat.
I would go to a camp ground if they pay me. Crown is free and there is still lot's up near Algonquin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
Crown land camping has it's place, I personally love it, when going with the guys, it's an adventure, it's fun, it's new.Quote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
When you have a three year old, or the family with you, parks do have their perks, mainly, other like minded families, doesn't take little ones long to find all the other little ones and make new friends, entertain each other, and make memories.
Coleman ran an ad campaing last year, "Coleman, the original social network"
And they are right.
Next year will be the perfect time to start bringing him. All of my sons started at age 4 I don't think the youngest has ever been to a campground except with the Cubs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurkeyRookie
He's been camping since he was still in a crib, put the playpen in the tent, both crown and parks, just saying, for the kids enjoyment, sometimes it's nice to have other kids their age in a handy place they can meet, and play.Quote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
Yeah that's true. I let my son bring one of those hand held game things. He plays with it on the way up to the Lake. We keep him busy most of the day fishing and hiking. Then at night he plays it again.
He does like it with the kid's when the cubs go camping, however he find their hikes a bit boring since we usually hike through forests looking for waterfalls.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurkeyRookie
I honestly had no idea prov. parks were that expensive to stay at? It's been a few year since I've been at one, but they do offer many amenities not found at a crown lot in the bush. Personally, I prefer the privacy and solitude of the bush as opposed to neighbours next door. For a family with children, it makes sense, as TR has indicated.
its almost getting to the point where you can rent a cottage for cheaper than you can stay in a provincial park.
its ridiculous.
It's not just prov parks, most commercial camp grounds these days are similarly priced. And if you think they are greedily making tons of cash, they aren't. The costs of operating and maintaining these camp grounds keep going up, and by the time you factor in amortization of capital expenditures for building washrooms with showers, playgrounds for kids, and other facilities, they're lucky to break even.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushmoose
I've always been a big fan of the private camp grounds. Even though they may be a tad more expensive,they don't seem to have the burdensome rules and regulations that seems to so prevalent in the provincial park system. In some parks,it's almost oppressive. The idea is for folks to have fun and enjoyment. We visit friends at Darlington PP occassionally and it seems you can't laugh out loud or (heaven forbid) step off the lot with a beer in your hand or sit around a campfire late in the evening without someone instantly on your back. Private campgrounds don't seem to be quite so rigid.
depends what you're looking for I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
peace and quiet and early nights with the kids.
or beers n bonfires with the buddies.
In 1992, minimum wage was $6.35 and gas was $0.50/L.
In 2014, minimum wage is $11.00 and gas is $1.32/L.
In that time period, real estate almost tripled in some areas.
Is it a surprise that camping rates doubled?
Yep. I agree. It also depends how your camping,either tent trailer camper or seasonal park model on a permanent site. I've done both. I think tent trailer offers the best choices. If something bothers you,you can always just go somewhere else. We were in a park with a permanent site that we finally called "Camp NO". There was rules against everything. We made the best of it,but after four seasons,enough was enough once the fees hit $2500 per season.Quote:
Originally Posted by JJL
Quote:
Originally Posted by MuskieBait
yes but I went through some old camping receipts this a.m. - don't ask....
summer of 2004, prices ranged from $20.xx to $23.25.
same sites this summer would cost an average of $39.55.
almost doubled in 10 years.
during the same time the CPI went from 105 to 125.7.
only up ~25%