The National Park Service wanted to increase parking fees for 2017 but a swell of opposition from residents beat that back
SANDY HOOK -- Season parking passes for Sandy Hook go on sale starting this weekend and they won't cost any more than they did last year after an attempt to raise fees failed.
The first round of sales will be held only Saturday and Sunday but then season passes will be on sale every day starting on May 13, said Daphne Yun, a spokeswoman for Sandy Hook.
The passes can be purchased between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the entrance booths to the park.
The fee -- $75 for the season - will remain unchanged from last year after the National Park Service faced a swell of opposition from residents and a key federal lawmaker about the proposed hikes.
Sandy Hook proposed fee hikes could be scaled back, park officials say
Citing the need for additional funds to make improvements to Sandy Hook, the park service had proposed increasing the season pass to $100 and hiking the daily fee from $15 to $20 per car for 2017.
But U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone and other New Jersey residents said the increase would put the popular park, which attracts 2 million visitors annually, out of reach for many people.
The park service held open houses and informal public comment sessions at the beach as part of its way to gather feedback about its proposed plan.
In a letter to Pallone in December, the park service announced its decision to abandon plans for the fee increases.
The fees are in effect between the start of Memorial Day weekend and the end of Labor Day weekend.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.