By Donna Beth Weilenman
Staff Reporter

California Department of Parks and Recreation has issued new annual passes park enthusiasts can purchase, and some of them have dropped in price from previous years, said Brian Cahill, assistant deputy director of marketing and business development.

The passes are available at the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, 115 West G St., and, when park employees are available, at the Benicia State Recreation Area on the city’s west side between Vallejo and Southampton Bay, said park aide Jon Van Landschoot.

Park goers who have bought Vehicle Day Use annual passes and Golden Poppy Vehicle Day Use annual passes will find new options that also will be valid 12 months after purchase.

One of the passes recognizes the 150th year of the state parks system, Van Landschoot said.

It’s the “150th Anniversary Commemorative Vehicle Day Use Annual Pass,” a red, white and blue hangtag featuring a blue vintage vehicle on its front.

The hangtag pass costs $150 and provides admission to all state reservoirs, destination parks, inland parks and beaches north of the Angeles District. That includes the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park and the State Recreation Area, Van Landschoot said.

Those buying the anniversary commemorative tag will receive a “Historian Passport,” a credit card-style pass that allows admission to up to four people where a per-person entry fee is charged. Van Landschoot said the Historian Pass provides admission to 35 historic sites, and also may be used at museums that charge a Vehicle Day Use Fee. The card holder simply puts the card on the vehicle dash if no attendant is on duty that day.

However, that doesn’t apply to Benicia’s State Recreation Area, Van Landschoot said.

The Historian Passport is sold separately from the anniversary hangtag, too, for $50.

Another hangtag is the brightly colored “Surf Explorer,” at $195. This annual pass allows admission to all parks listed on the current Vehicle Day Use Annual Pass, including the Benicia State Recreation Area, and adds Southern California beaches, too.

A new hangtag to the parks system is the $75 California Experience Vehicle Day Use Annual Pass, Van Landschoot said. Its artwork portrays a couple walking through a fern-lined pathway, and it’s designed for those who want to spend play days, go on adventures or relax with family and friends.

Cahill said this pass comes in response to public demand for a lower-priced pass that can be used at more than 70 of Northern California’s state parks, as well as some central and southern parks.

It provides admission to the local State Recreation Area but not the Capitol, and its use is restricted to high demand times. It isn’t valid at Southern California beach parks, state reservoirs, or for camping or oversize vehicle fees, extra vehicle fees or other supplemental fees.

Other annual and discount passes remain the same.

The Oversize Vehicle Pass sticker is $75, and is for vehicles 25 feet or longer, or 9 feet or wider. Most vehicles pulling a trailer also are considered oversized vehicles. But those carrying Distinguished Veteran or Golden Bear passes will not be assessed the oversized vehicle fee, nor will those hauling boat trailers if they have a valid $100 Boat Use annual pass or have paid a boat use fee.

Off-highway Vehicle Day Use annual passes are $50, and are valid for passenger vehicles with a capacity of up to nine people at the state’s Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Areas.

California also has 21 “Sno-Park” sites, with cleared parking lots near snow play areas, cross country ski sites and snowmobile trails. Sno-Park season passes are $25, and day permits are $5 each.

Older Californians still get a parks admission break, Van Landschoot said. Honorably discharged war veterans who live in California and have an overall or combined rating at 50 percent or greater service-connected disability or who have been confined as prisoners of war or who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor may obtain the lifetime Distinguished Veteran Pass at no charge.

Those with this card are admitted free to most of the state parks’ basic features, including day use and camping. It isn’t valid for group use, during certain events or at certain local-government or private operations. Passes may be obtained online at www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1049.

But Benicia Capitol State Historic Park has many of these, Van Landschoot said. That park is open from noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, he said.

The Benicia SRA is open sunrise to sunset seven days a week.