Pay to Hike
I understand that the IAT shelters in Canada require a usage fee... Anyone know what the cost of thru-hiking it would turn out to be? (for esitmated shelter use alone)
"Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible." -Feynman
Another good reason not to use shelters.
I believe shelter use is required on parts of the IAT in Newfoundland and Quebec (mainly inside established parks similar to the US GSMNP) I've emailed someone from the IAT's equivilent to the ATC and asked them to join us so that accurate and up-to-date info will be available regarding this trail and its associated services.
The Ice Age Trail (in Wisconsin) rules state that you must either stay in shelters or tent at shelter areas, and either way you have to pay. The website was very insistent that all users had to reserve and pay; however, using the reservation system was a nightmare. The one upside was that when we made better time than we'd anticipated (it's an easy trail) they let us transfer our reservation from one site to another, even though the website says that's not allowed. A 4-night hike cost me $60.
Jane in CT
Toll Trails
Pay to backpack? People actually participate in such a program? Let's herd the non-paying anti-shelterists in a straight line with no deviation allowed and like Ed Abbey said, we'll all have fun in the woods but in a clockwise direction ONLY.
You'd think in a place so far north that the park officials would let people fend for themselves without interference from the Nanny State. I guess a backpacker sleeping somewhere without authorization will awaken the litigious sleeping giant that is Park Policy so beware all future hikers! You'd better bone up on the statute and footnoted legalese before even laying out your gear. Meanwhile the millioneth noisy jet passes overhead and the IAT is socked in an all-day acid rain. Wait! There's an unauthorized hiker who hasn't paid his fee sneeking thru an adjacent clearcut trying to access the Ice Age Trail!
Back to reality: gsingjane, could you spell out their reasons for charging? What was your experience? Would you do it again?
Snowmobilers pay a fortune in registration fees for their sport, as do hunters. In fact, hikers are about the only group that expects to government to set aside land for their use and have trails but expect the general fund to pay for it.Originally Posted by Tipi Walter
To me, use fees make sense.
But that, I'm sure, is a minority opinion.
Frosty
No fees - walking in the mountains should always remain free.
While I agree that walking in the mountains should always be free you can't realistically says that there will always be mountains for you to walk on with out monetary support.
I could see putting up a donation box at the start or each new trail clubs section and again at the shelters. maintaining the trail and building shelters and privies are not a free thing and I would happily donate and I walk through/use.
21.1% Done
$60 for you alone? In Glacier, it's $5 per person, per night in the backcountry. I don't mind paying, it's an awesome park.
Imagine if the AT charged 5 dollars a night? It'd cost $750 just for a thru-hike permit. I thought Glacier belonged to all of us, so why do we have to pay to use it? How much does it cost to drive the Going to the Sun road thru the park? What's the name of that road?
Going Into the Sun Road! I think it costs $25 per car. If all the AT was like Glacier, it would be worth the $750...
You're going to pay one way or another. Either through taxes or fees. There's infrastructure in NP's, paid trail crews, plowing etc...The AT is a bargin thanks largely to the volunteerism.
Or more! The trouble with fees/registration when hiking, is finding the place, or the proper time, to pay them.
But it all costs money. MATC has to spend $200,000 a year, most of it raised through donations from volunteers like us, to keep the trail open and protected. The money funds a trail crew, six caretakers and ridgerunners, a part time staff person, and general costs. You can help. Just open www.matc.org and make a contribution. It will help keep walking in Maine free.
The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust will be sending out its biannual donation letters in a couple of weeks. WE presently are seeking $500,000 so we will have a kitty to buy options when our negotiations with land owners bear fruit. Our vision is the protection of 85,000 acres of mountains and mountain valleys in the high peaks region surrounding Saddleback. The initial half million will help keep the land trust alive, give us credibility in our negotiations, and provide seed money for the major fund-raising that will have to follow.
Trail building and protection isn't cheap. But the alternative is the gradual loss of the wildness that makes the Maine section of the trail special.
Beat the crowds. Just open www.matlt.org and contribute.
Weary, MATLT president.
Last edited by weary; 11-07-2007 at 16:10.
LOL.. BTW, I think this is supposed to be the International Appalachian Trail forum, not the Ice Age Trail.
IAT shelters cost $20.00 per person per night, $10.00 for camping and lean-tos. Also reservations must be made. OR you can buy a "passport" which gives you access to all the sherlters etc and I don't "think" they require reservations.
I have been trying to do some pre-planning to thru hike the IAT in 2009 information is hard to come by.
WalkingStick"75"
Canada ought to allow U.S. citizens to use their parks for free just to be nice, eh.
I have been lookng for the passport costs and can't seam to fnd it right now but I think it was around $200.00 bucks. The benifit of the passport is that you don't need reservations. I was shocked at this too after all the trips on the AT and no fees, well thats not really true. Motels, Green Mountians, Whtie Mountians, a whole bunch of hostels and my membership with the ATC.
So on second thought I really don't mind paying a little to support areas to hike. The IATC only charged me $10.00 for my membership which I gladly paid to support the trail.
WalkingStick"75"
Parking fees
For day hikers and section hikers in New Hampshire, many of parking areas at the trail heads in the White Mountain National Forest have a fee for parking. One can pay by the day or purchase weekly or season permits (or if one is an old codger like me) obtain a "Golden Age Passport" which entitles the bearer to park for free.
Many of us who would rather "live free" (remember the state motto), don't like for the NFS to charge for what we think is ours.
Bob & Brad
(On the Internet, no one knows if you're a dog)
Psalm 121 - the hiker's psalm
A bit off topic, but some info about the ice age trail
"One of the virtues of the Ice Age Trail is its involvement with the diverse communities along its route. It was designed to connect communities, not avoid them. In fact, approximately 57% of Wisconsin residents live within 20 miles of the Trail. The Ice Age Trail was also designed very specifically to preserve and protect Wisconsin’s cultural and glacial heritage."
Knowing the above, it makes sense (for private property/ community relations reasons) for haing designated camping sites with fees on the ice age trail.
At first, when I saw your post, I thought, okay, another IATpost and someone else whining about fees.
You posted some facts I find quite interesting and I'm glad you did. Thank you.
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