Passes, Politics, and Parks

A lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity against the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, regarding the annual America the Beautiful pass has reached my attention. Apparently, a contest-winning photograph of Glacier National Park has been supplanted with an image featuring both George Washington and, regrettably, President Trump. This substitution, intended to commemorate the 250th anniversary, feels… unnecessary. The original pass, priced at a reasonable $80 for residents, generated $119.4 million in 2023, funds demonstrably better spent than on legal fees. The introduction of a $250 non-resident pass feels particularly obtuse. One anticipates increased congestion on SR-224, already strained during peak ski season, as out-of-state visitors attempt to access these 'treasured' parks. The Marsac Building will be inundated with complaints, I assure you. High Valley Transit will be fielding inquiries they are ill-equipped to handle. It is, of course, a matter of aesthetics, but the faded municipal beige of the old pass was far less… aggressive. The entire affair smacks of branding exercises best left to the private sector. To avoid the inevitable bottleneck at Kimball Junction, I recommend utilizing the back way—Head up 40, and cut over to Park City via Echo Canyon—though even that route will experience delays.