In an effort to find the best solution to aid visitors and speed-up lines at entrance stations, the National Park Service now has a new pilot program where visitors can now get their entrance pass online prior to arriving at the parks.
The “Your Pass Now” program gives the public the opportunity to purchase their Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks park-specific annual passes or entrance passes using their own smart device such as a tablet / cellphone or computer by visiting www.yourpassnow.com/parkpass. This year’s online program comes from NIC, LLC and has been piloted at 5 other park units.
Last year, the parks piloted another digital pass program through Viply. By testing and experiencing both pilot programs, the parks will be able to determine which the best digital pass solution is for visitors.
Brigid Jennings, Acting Revenue and Fee Program Manager said, “We are super excited to be announcing this new pilot program during National Park Week. This will be another tool to help visitors in their planning before arriving at the parks.”
Once purchased, electronic passes may be printed or can reside on a mobile device for use at the park on the date of purchase or at a specified future date. Park staff will validate them upon presentation at the park. Specific instructions for the electronic passes will be provided when they are purchased. Passes are non-refundable, non-transferable, and non-replaceable if lost or stolen.
Entrance fees go back to the national parks themselves. 80% of revenue collected stays within the parks and directly supports the maintenance of trails, visitor centers, and the operation of the within-park shuttle buses; the other 20% goes to support the entire National Park System.