Reader comments
As gas prices soar, parks in Utah see fewer visitors

Gas Prices | 7:13 a.m. July 21, 2008

I think that Gas prices are a joke, I was planning a trip this summer to go to Cedar City to see the USF but with gas prices it is just better to stay home, and tour locally. and try to lower gas prices.

Astounded | 8:11 a.m. July 21, 2008

I stopped by to visit Kolob Fingers Saturday. They wanted $25 for admission. They said it would get me into Zion as well, but I was just wanting a 30 minute look and go. There were 5 rangers in the back office chatting and laughing. Maybe if they cut back on excessive staff they could lower the prices and have more visitors.

I chose to spend my time and money elsewhere.

Stuck at home | 8:23 a.m. July 21, 2008

There is NO WAY we can afford to go anywhere. The gas prices have even cut into our food budget. Before, we could set some aside for recreation and have enough food to feed our family. Now we have to make due with $100 less every month for food alone. Needless to say, even most National Parks are out of the question for us now. Unless we decide to live on Ramen noodles, we are staying home.

Comments continue below

Anonymous | 9:08 a.m. July 21, 2008

Good they can keep there little boy toys at home.

Dan | 9:51 a.m. July 21, 2008

The parks would have more visitors if you could get there on a bus. As it stands, you've got to drive there yourself and pay a parking fee in addition to the normal entrance fees. If you have no car, you don't go.

Anonymous | 10:16 a.m. July 21, 2008

My gas budget went from $100 month to $400 a month...and that's just the cost to drive to work each day. The only parks my family can afford to visit are city parks.

John | 10:49 a.m. July 21, 2008

Utah State parks were too expensive to go to when gas was $1.

To: Anonymous | 12:16 p.m. July 21, 2008

I'm not sure what you're talking about when you said, "Good they can keep there little boy toys at home." Can you please clarify what this comment was trying to imply?

Ing | 12:38 p.m. July 21, 2008

Probably "Anonymous" was talking about the boaters. I wish I were well off enough to have to cut back on my boating--as it is, I'm lucky to have a car, and I can't even really afford to gas it up.

A year and a half ago I ditched my family-size SUV for a smaller vehicle with double the fuel efficiency because it cost too much to run...and now, with gas near $4.50 per gallon where I live, I'm spending even more per fill-up for my fuel-efficient car than I used to for my old gas-guzzler.

I'm stuck at home. I had to skip a family reunion already this summer, haven't seen my family in over a year, and I'll be lucky if I can scrape/save enough $$ to drive to my brother's wedding in September. all because of gas prices. I guess I could go on vacation if I didn't eat for 2 weeks.

Price of Stuff | 12:57 p.m. July 21, 2008

It's too bad that they charge you so much to see something so beautiful. I understand the need to maintain roads, trails, water, etc., but just to go visit one park is expensive. They should make it a universal fee, visit 5 parks of your choice in 3-5 years for $30.00 or something. I think people would take advantage of this.

We have alot of beauty right here in our state that many don't see simply because of that cost to get into each park, Zions, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, gosh even Antelope Island is even $9.00 to see, not that there is much ot there!

Then you put the cost of gas into the mix and it's simply impossible to go anywhere. It's too bad that UTAH has the highest gas prices in the Union!!! Everyone is feeling the crunch, we have 3 drivers, 3 vehicles, one being diesel - our fuel bill per month is over $700.

Remember that quality time with family is important and even a walk in the park is great.

Anonymous | 1:27 p.m. July 21, 2008

Phil Gramm was right. We are becoming a bunch of whiners in this country. Buck up. We've been through much worse in the past. In the 70s you couldn't even buy gas at any price without waiting in line for hours.

Reader | 1:56 p.m. July 21, 2008

Re: Price of Stuff,
Utah does not have the highest gas prices in the union. California has that honor. Again, one of many factual errors each day among these reader comments.

Craig Coleman | 2:28 p.m. July 21, 2008

The feds offer an annual pass for $80 that gets you into any Dept of the Interior (National Parks and BLM) or Dept of Agriculture (National Forests) site that currently requires an entrance fee. The pass does not help you with entrance fees for state lands. Zion National Park is about 300 miles from Salt Lake City. A round trip in a vehicle that gets 15 miles to the gallon would require 40 gallons of gas. At current prices that is about $180. If gas were at $2/gallon it would cost $80. Are there really that many people who are foregoing a vacation to Utah National Parks because they can't afford an extra $100?

I don't understand | 3:18 p.m. July 21, 2008

Have the gas prices gone back up? The last I heard was they had dropped over $6 in just a 3 day period.

When we hear the price of oil is up fifty cents a barrell, within just a few minutes of the announcement, it seems like all the gas stations here up their prices at least 10 cents. Then, they might drop a penny or two over the next few days. With the price of oil dropping so much, why has it been a week and no one has dropped prices? In fact on the news this morning, it announced we were about 8 cents higher than the national average, and while others have dropped prices, Utah increased theirs. What gives?

G | 4:10 p.m. July 21, 2008

"When we hear the price of oil is up fifty cents a barrell, within just a few minutes of the announcement, it seems like all the gas stations here up their prices at least 10 cents."

That would seem unlikely, unless gas in Utah is going for about $7/gal now.

To G | 6:31 p.m. July 21, 2008

I'm the poster of the gas prices going up, and maybe it was an exageration saying 10 cents each time. We've all seen it go up and down. And, yes, I've seen prices go up by 10 cents at one time.

My question wasn't why are we not paying $7 a gallon, but why, when oil prices have gone down, have we not seen a decrease, of even a couple of cents, and in some cases seen the price go up?

Duh!!

Tracey | 1:54 p.m. July 28, 2008

I am not happy with Utah and the pricing policies here - it is true that we are paying higher gas prices; gas was a heck of a lot cheaper in Vegas this weekend, by twenty cents. That's why no one spending time in Utah this summer (resident or not) is it simply cheaper to go elsewhere. There is something definitely corrupt in this situation....

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