American River Parks Pass

So which pass do you need to launch a kayak on the AR?  The $50 car pass or the $80 car plus small watercraft?  Maybe a dumb question but, I don't want to spend more than I need to.

I get the pass with the small watercraft.

I get the pass with the small watercraft.

Me too.

Naoaki

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk

If you only get the 50 dollar one and you enter thru a manned entry point they will ask you for 3 more dollars to launch your kayak. If you launch before 8 am they are mostly unmanned entry points.
If you only launch in unmanned spots the 50 dollar one will ensure no ticket from parking enforcement.

Thanks for the replies.  So to be legit it's the $80 pass or $50 plus $3.  I think I'll just do a day passes for a few times and see how often I'm actually getting on the river.  I don't mind paying but don't want to over pay either.

Went by Howe today to check it out.  My arms were too sore to launch from the weekend at Lake Edison.  Maybe on the next trip.  Hope to get on the AR during Steelie season.

I think I'll just do a day passes for a few times and see how often I'm actually getting on the river.

Every year I seem to hold off on renewing my pass. Then I end up going enough times to pay for the pass before I actually go and buy another pass.

All you have to do is go ten times for the pass to be worth it.

Good point and I do that with CA State parks for mountain biking.  Although I do business in the area it's still a 300+ miles one way and ten times per year is ify. 

On the other hand the weather in Sac is nice in the winter and I love fishing steelies.  Will see how it pans out over the next few months.