Environment
New State Park Passport Is $10 Annual Bargain You Can Add On Vehicle Fee
September 27, 2012 
If you are one of those who visit or launch a boat at State Parks like Lucky Peak, Cascade, Bruneau Dunes, or any one of 30 state parks, a new check off box on your vehicle registration will allow you to get an annual pass for a mere $10 extra. The program starts October 1.
Parks officials are hoping the new program, borrowed from other states like Michigan, will encourage residents to support their parks. Currently you have to either purchase an annual $40 pass or pay a daily $5 fee to enter or launch a boat. Two visits and you recover the investment.
Passes go on sale October 1 with new license plates and will be in the form of a sticker that goes on the windshield of your vehicle–one vehicle per sticker. It will take a few months for the renewal registrations and the annual passes to get into synch, but even in a worse case scenario the most you can spend is $20. The passes will expire along with vehicle registration.
IDAHO PARKS has a list of FAQs and details of the program.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Sep 27, 2012, 2:51 pm
This will be a great change for that program. Now we just need to get an area “Water Pass” for Ada County as there are three agencies that control access. IDPR-has 3 Lucky Peak area spots, Army Corp controls a Lucky Peak Boat ramp, and Ada County controls Barber Park
Sep 27, 2012, 7:17 pm
It is too bad that the public access places (and schools and libraries) have to resort to such bake sale modes of garnering funds; but, I am happy that the option has been added and hope that the bookkeeping costs don’t outweigh the potential good from such an approach.
Sep 28, 2012, 2:50 am
Does it come with a free phone?
Sep 28, 2012, 7:50 am
That’s a fantastic idea. I am sure we will be selecting that option for both of our vehicles when they’re up for renewal. Good work, IDPR!
Sep 28, 2012, 2:00 pm
Take a bow Dave–That idea was brought up by someone who went to the Michigan State game and I am giving you the credit.
EDITOR NOTE–Actually it DID come from Michigan, but a year ago. Thanks.
Sep 28, 2012, 8:08 pm
I do not believe it is the whole story. The new law probably propped the door open to sliding the fee ever higher and allowing the collections of one fee/tax to be spent on something else. To think otherwise is to see it as a tax/fee decrease, and we know that does not happen.
Do you recall the promise from Dirk to only temporarily raise the sales tax ten years ago? Dirk went on to have a very cushy DC office and then a triple wammy retirement on us.
Sep 29, 2012, 3:45 pm
Zippo, nothing in statute prevents the fee from going higher, but that would be counter-productive. This will only work if many, many more people buy the pass. At $10, it’s a bargain. If it goes much higher than that, use would drop off.
Sep 29, 2012, 10:49 pm
It will be made involuntary in a few years. Editor: Is the money spent on the parks or on the parks department?
Oct 12, 2012, 9:18 am
so they need to “sell” 4 times as many passes to equal the revenue of the old system. If they do, will that result in 4 times more people using the parks? Will the park require more maintenance ? staff ? improvements to handle 4 times the people ? I like the idea of getting it with the plate and am a big parks supporter but the price cut may be a bit much in real $ terms as well as falling into the psychological trap of the lack of percieved value in something priced so cheap. I feel a year of access the land it represents is worth far more than a of couple fast food meals.
Oct 12, 2012, 8:46 pm
john; you already own the land. We should not have to pay anything.
Nov 1, 2012, 10:18 am
I wish this covered state campgrounds as well. But all in all a rather innovative idea and simple one to boot!