Originally Posted by
abmj-jr
It is not the amount so much as the 800% increase all at once - for a primary constituency who are retired and on a fixed income. The original intent was to provide pensioners an inexpensive way to enjoy their parks, which they supported through their taxes for many years, without making them decide between buying the pass or eating right that month. That original intent seems to have gone by the board. I suspect it has a lot to do with longer active life spans these days compared to when the pass was first created.
I agree that a modest increase was warranted. 8x is rather much.
They've also added a senior-annual pass for $20. That's a pretty good option for people who only do an occasional National Parks roadtrip and don't see themselves doing 7+ such trips (in different years) over the course of their life.
I suspect people who live near a park and use it often will still find the $80 to be an amazing value. The people who don't - National Parks are a really infrequent thing for them - now have the $20 option that buys them a full year.
The main reasons it was 800% are (a) it was crazy-crazy cheap before and (b) they haven't asked Congress for a rate hike in almost 25 years.