Utah State Park Pass changes

[2knots]

Looks like there are some changes coming, this is off the park website 

[font="Open Sans", sans-serif]Visitors to Utah State Parks can now register their annual pass online, turning their traditional calendar year annual pass into a rolling 12-month pass. This means if you purchase your annual pass in March 2024, it will be good until March 2025 as long as you register it online.[/font]
[font="Open Sans", sans-serif]Not only that, but downloading the new Utah State Parks mobile app now allows visitors to have a digital copy of their annual pass on their smartphone. This removes the need to have a physical annual pass with you. Instead, all you need is a smartphone with the Utah State Parks mobile app and you’re good to go! [/font]
[font="Open Sans", sans-serif]Registering an annual pass online through the app does not cost any additional money and allows Utah State Parks staff to better monitor which passes are valid and which have expired. The digital annual pass also allows for the same two signatures and up to three license plates. This information mirrors that which is typically filled out on the fee envelopes at park entrance stations and allows visitors to more easily access the park. [/font]
[font="Open Sans", sans-serif]In the future, Utah State Parks plans to improve the app to allow for access to trail maps, reservations, and much more. The app is available for download on both the [b]iOS[/b] (Apple) and [b]Android[/b] (Google Play) app stores. [/font]
[font="Open Sans", sans-serif]Follow the directions outlined in the video at the top of this page, or, check out our PDF visitor guide shown below![/font]

[Therapist]

GREAT!!! Now that they have us all switched over to the annual mode, the go back to the rolling mode !! Don't we love Gummit!!

[LundLefty]

Any idea when the 2025 annual passes will be available? They always seen to wait until the last minute...

[obifishkenobi]

Any idea when  the 2025 annual passes will be available?  They always seen to wait until the last minute...

You can purchase your pass right now, each pass is valid for 365 days after the purchase from the following link.
https://parkspass.utah.gov/parks/PANUAL/dayuse

[Bduck]

I wonder if the Special Fun Tag will be affected? Can it be added to the mobile app?

[wiperhunter2]

Good to hear they are going back to the old system. Now that they have made the change, I'll wait until January to get my pass, that way I can keep jumping a month per year, until I get a whole year free. Of course that will take 12 years

[dubob]

I wonder if the Special Fun Tag will be affected? Can it be added to the mobile app?

Good question Roger.  I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen.  ?

[smokepoles]

Looks like there are some changes coming, this is off the park website 


[font="Open Sans", sans-serif]......Registering an annual pass online through the app does not cost any additional money and allows Utah State Parks staff to better monitor which passes are valid and which have expired....[/font]

Call me dense, but how does having an annual pass (hard card) plus a revolving epass make things easier to moniter?  Not to mention unequal.

I'm going to stick with purchasing first thing in January and also do the epass owing to its other advantages outside of its 'revolving' time frame.

[Therapist]

For those of us "seasoned citizens" who have Medicare with over the counter benefits, it my understanding that you can purchase your pass with those benefits, also your fishing license !! So if you have monies left for this year, that you don't know what to do with, get your 2025 pass now !! Just a thought !!!

[obifishkenobi]

Good to hear they are going back to the old system. Now that they have made the change, I'll wait until January to get my pass, that way I can keep jumping a month per year, until I get a whole year free. Of course that will take 12 years

They actually went back to the rolling calendar almost immediately, the 2024 pass is good for 365 days from the day you purchased it. it is just going to be an administrative nightmare for enforcement purposes, not much of an issue, if your entering a park through a manned gate, they can scan it when you enter, but when people enter through unmanned gates they will have to try and scan them through your windshield in the parking lot to check if the pass is still valid. Some parks started writing the month of purchase on the corner of the pass in sharpie when they sold them for just this purpose. Another example of where a state agency made a change and the legislature said we don't like that, you cant do it, change it back.

[smokepoles]

Good to hear they are going back to the old system. Now that they have made the change, I'll wait until January to get my pass, that way I can keep jumping a month per year, until I get a whole year free. Of course that will take 12 years

They actually went back to the rolling calendar almost immediately, the 2024 pass is good for 365 days from the day you purchased it. it is just going to be an administrative nightmare for enforcement purposes, not much of an issue, if your entering a park through a manned gate, they can scan it when you enter, but when people enter through unmanned gates they will have to try and scan them through your windshield in the parking lot to check if the pass is still valid. Some parks started writing the month of purchase on the corner of the pass in sharpie when they sold them for just this purpose. Another example of where a state agency made a change and the legislature said we don't like that, you cant do it, change it back.

 Well, not exactly what is posted on the the state park website where it states that the annual day-use pass is just that until registered on line. 

The Utah State Park Annual Day-Use Pass is valid until Dec. 31, 2024 unless registered online in the Utah State Parks app.

I called state office last year and was informed that once registered online enforcement could scan licence plate to check, and it was requested that if entering through other than a manned gate to fill out a slip indicating 'epass' and place on dash. Seems that  parks doing different.
  

[lavaman]

Chuck, it makes a person wonder if it continues to be worth it. Every year it seems there are changes to keep up with the demand from a growing population. But are we actually seeing improvements in our State Park Fisheries? Or is it the same old standard.

[dubob]

Chuck, it makes a person wonder if it continues to be worth it. Every year it seems there are changes to keep up with the demand from a growing population. But are we actually seeing improvements in our State Park Fisheries? Or is it the same old standard.

State Park fees are deposited in the State Park Fees Restricted Account (Utah Code Title 79).  They are used for property acquisition, maintenance, and management.  None of it is used for anything concerning fish.  License fees are deposited in the Wildlife Resources Account (Utah Code 23A).  They are used for fish and game issues (like fish stocking).  The two divisions do not share funds.  Increased State Park fees will not improve fishing opportunities or success within State Parks if that was what you were talking about.

[brookie]

Chuck, it makes a person wonder if it continues to be worth it. Every year it seems there are changes to keep up with the demand from a growing population. But are we actually seeing improvements in our State Park Fisheries? Or is it the same old standard.

It doesn't always seem like it is worth the cost, especially since most of us on this forum are interested in fishing. I just counted 46 State Parks on the website, of those 24 are fishing sites. Also not all Parks are created equal. I have a daughter that is a professor at the University of Illinois in the recreation department - Parks and Recreation. She loves to come home to Utah because we often visit the State and National Parks here. She says many of our Utah State Parks are better than most of the National Parks in the east. 

I am happy to support the Parks both National and State. I do wish the State would pick a payment method (yearly or rolling 365) and stick with it. The other thing I would like to see is a couple other areas added to the State Parks, Strawberry, Pineview and Currant Creek.

[BearLakeFishGuy]

For what its worth, the Utah State Parks annual pass costs more than just about any other state. I wrote an article about it on this forum about a year or so ago. Most parks in the midwest charge about $20-$50 for an annual pass. Other western states charge about $50-80 (I looked them all up when I made the comment). Anyway, for what we get at our state parks we pay quite heavily for compared to other states. I asked this question of the DNR leadership and was told that the legislature pulled back most of the supplemental funding to state parks from the general budget and therefore the parks were forced to raise their fees to ensure they were mostly self-sufficient. Personally, I don't think that is the right way to go (and neither do many other states in the USA, where the legislature, lottery, etc. fund the operating budget for their state parks). Anyway, I think it is RIDICULOUS that the feds charge $23/daily to launch at Pineview and its $20/day to launch at many state parks here in Utah. So, I, like others on BFT, spend $125 for a yearly pass. All it takes is 6 visits and the yearly pass pays for itself (or I try to use this rationale to make myself feel better about getting ripped off here in Utah).

[wiperhunter2]

As far as the fee goes, to use our state parks, if you compare it to the cost of other activities, like going to a movie or going out for a meal at a restaurant, I don't think it is outrageous. Just the price we have to pay to have a good time.