I checked on Orbitz just a couple of days ago. Yes, I presume Williamsburg hotel rates are very seasonal since it's basically an outdoor family activity. Anyway, I find that among the lower-priced hotels, price doesn't always correlate with quality. For instance there's a hotel I've stayed at a couple of times on rides to Rehoboth beach, it's the lowest price in the area but is clean (& right next door to a Cracker Barrel!)...only thing is that it's a mile from downtown/beach which is no problem, easy walk/bike.

Eye-opening post. I remember newspaper articles from decades ago bleating about vehicle traffic in Yellowstone but still, bikers are treated as an afterthought. It's not as if more reasonable bike rates would cause parks to be swamped since there's a limited # of bike tourists.

Would be pretty bizarre if 1-day bike ride on Skyline Drive cost $30.

Can someone tell me why it is that people feel that when they have done/lived/whatever for x years, it some how makes them an expert in all things even tangential associated with the topic.

Not our experience in 2016 when we did a full clockwise loop starting/ending in West Yellowstone going through Mammoth HS, Tower Junction, Grant Village, and Old Faithful). The newer road sections have shoulders wide enough to comfortably bicycle. They were working on one section South of Mammoth HS where they shuttled us thru the construction zone (completely realigning the road). The park employee explained that as the roads are repaved they are adding shoulders. We had clean biker/hiker sites each night. Ideally they would have been further from the main road as we heard traffic.

I consider Yogi Bear to be the foremost expert on Yellowstone. He’s actually lived there since 1958.

Yeah... but the infrastructure does cost to build, maintain, manage, and clean. You could have gone anywhere in the park and camp if you wanted to though for no cost. Stealth camp and take the slap on the wrist if and when its necessary. It also works like, the further you are away from a crowd of people the cheaper it is. When I can ride for 4 or 5 hours and not see anyone the camping is really cheap.

The little pack of coyotes that hang around the local park and high school here start howling when they hear dogs, another pack howling, or sirens. They've become used to me, and follow along sometimes on walks. Thankfully, they still are wary of other people and take off running.

https://preview.ibb.co/immenb/IMG_6140.jpg

Isn't camping, and to a certain extent cycle touring all about getting away from it all?

And paying $20 bucks for a 6ft x 6ft piece of grass and a shower, the opposite of that?

It amazes me that anyone would want to bicycle tour/camp in yellowstone.
The vast expanse of nothingness all around the area is there for the taking.

I ride an electric bike so I always look for an electric oasis.

I so agree until I need electricity or a badly needed shower.

Well, then you just pay the $20 bucks for a room. :lol:

I believe in Thailand, the national park price for a foreigner pitching a tent is something like 10 times the price than for the locals.

I'm gonna try camping in Churches and monasteries when i go touring SE Asia. Might be abit hard to find in Thailand, but ok in Myanmar. Buddhist temples are very open to smelly cyclists as well evidently for a small donation, but not sure i fancy the early wake up music. Is is it better for a cycle tourist to find God or Buddha of a night i wonder?

seems pointless to put up with the noise, lack of privacy,
and lack of amenities when a decent hotel/guesthouse with
hot showers, AC, wifi, etc, will only set you back $10-15.

when i'm on vacation, i don't wanna be awakened at dawn....

http://c7.alamy.com/comp/B1PBF9/hare...nge-B1PBF9.jpg

I'm not sure, it ain't my thing. I don't advocate getting into a plane to fly somewhere just so you can ride a bike and show off. The grandest thing about bikes is that they let people play without adding to the damage already being done to our planet. Trust me when I tell you that the one thing in this life you do not need to wander around to find is God. Stay home, save the money, help an elderly neighbor, ride to your heart's content locally and be a loud advocate for maintaining a small carbon footprint you will find God.

Do you want to do. If people want to travel on tour then let them travel. Tourism is an important part the economy of many countries and even other states for that matter.

Maybe you should try traveling to some of these countries and see how important it really is rather than being so judgmental in a vacuum?

"Show off"??? :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Yet you ride an electric bike? Why don't you walk or just stay home and save the planet? Stop "showing off". :rolleyes:

Late reply to this, but that's the place I stayed. It's a private campground but no longer a KOA site. I think it was $35 for a patch of grass with water and electric. I only stayed because there were several breweries around there I wanted to visit (Redwood Curtain being the highlight). The guy working the desk when I came in swung me a couple of discounts that I hadn't earned when I commented on the high price for a bit of flat grass. Very nice of him.

I lived outside of the U.S. for almost 15 years kid, several countries, and many cities. What good is tourism if people can't breathe, or if the world reefs and all dying, or the summer temps continue to climb. How #%$&@#% stupid can someone be? Don't you have anyone at all that matters, anyone that you are worried about their future? You can dramatically roll your eyes all you want. You are a product of a world that taught you to think that matters in some ridiculous way. I bet you own a lot of participation awards. Yes, show-offs. That's the only reason these reprobates bother to do anything. They wouldn't have done it without pay or if there were no cameras. Also, the only vacuum that I have seen here is the one present between your ears. Our continued survival on this beautiful little planet is in jeopardy and we, individuals, are all that there is to help correct things. people that continue to demonstrate their lack of respect for the Earth should be eliminated. Three strikes? Two maybe? Humans don't allow murderers to freely roam amongst so why do we allow eco-terrorist to do whatever they want? Grow up and look around, there is way more than your simple little ignorant personal world at stake. Learn to do more, contribute more than just turning oxygen into carbon dioxide.

I sold my two cars, gave away a motorcycle and switched to my bicycle specifically because of carbon exhaust and am proud of it. I own no 2 stroke motors, maintain my property without the use of petroleum or chemicals. and haven't stepped onto a plane in well over a decade. I Do care, and I do what I can to help. That includes taking time to teach and when necessary preach to those simpletons that can't understand the dire situation we are in.

Take your preaching to another forum. It doesn't belong in the touring forum.

We simpletons need preaching to. Keep going.

Dear Moderator -

Please, please close this thread.

It belongs in every forum, chat, conversation, tv show, movie, billboard, and fortune cookie until morons pull their heads out and smell the pollution building in the air.

"Ooooh that smell
Can't you smell that smell?
Ooooh that smell
The smell of death surrounds you"

It's really not about being simple, or not understanding, look at Al Gore... he is an intelligent man and he is still flying everywhere just to speak in front of crowds that could watch him on CCV. It just overpowering so people try and shrug it off, "head in the sand" syndrome. We are running out of time while people chopper to the top of a hill to ski back down and show-off the pics, all the while hoping someone will pay them. All hail Money. In money we trust.

Why it above your head? Or is it that it scares you like it should? I love bike touring and would like to be able to pass my bike onto a niece or nephew so they can do the same.