Parking at Stevens Pass has always been a challenge, but it was manageable with preparation. Arrive early enough and you’d find a spot. Show up 15 minutes before lifts open on a powder day? That’s on you. It was a fair system.

Last year, Vail proposed requiring $20 reservations for most vehicles during peak periods. The community pushed back hard, and Stevens Pass reversed that decision — proof that our voices matter. We appreciated that. But the fight isn’t over.

For the 2026-27 season, Vail is expanding the reservation requirement to all summit lots on most weekends and holiday periods before 10 a.m. To their credit, they’ve added a new option: a limited batch of free reservations released each week ahead of peak days. But “limited” is the key word. Those spots will go fast, and there’s no guarantee for anyone — including loyal season pass holders who’ve committed hundreds of dollars to ski here every weekend.

So in practice, your real options on a Saturday morning are: carpool with four people, race to grab a free reservation the moment they drop, or pay $20. Miss the free release window and you’re paying — or arriving after 2 p.m. and losing half your day.

The math is brutal. The Local Pass is roughly $600 this year. Ski both days on 15 weekends and pay $20 each time when you can’t carpool or miss the free window, and you’re looking at $600 in parking on top of that. That’s simply unaffordable for many in our community.

Other resorts like Crystal and Snoqualmie have parking restrictions too, but they offer free options for pass holders. Stevens Pass should do the same. A weekly free reservation lottery isn’t a solution — it’s a scramble that rewards whoever’s fastest, not whoever’s most committed to this mountain.

Carpooling with four people isn’t a realistic solution either. Different schedules, obligations, and the logistics of packing four people’s gear into a single vehicle make it impractical for most.

Vail’s direction is pushing dedicated local riders and skiers away. Many in our community are now considering switching to an Ikon pass simply because they can no longer afford Stevens. That should alarm Vail — Stevens Pass’s identity is built on its local, community-driven culture. Erode that, and you erode the mountain itself.

We’re not asking Vail Resorts to ignore congestion at Stevens Pass — we understand traffic and parking management are real challenges. What we’re asking for is a fair solution that respects the people who already invested in this mountain and its community: Epic Pass and Stevens Pass holders.

The best solution would be to eliminate reservations entirely for Lots 1–4 and return to free first-come, first-served parking for pass holders. Local skiers and riders shouldn’t have to fight through a weekly lottery system just to access the mountain they already paid to support.

If Vail insists reservations are necessary to manage congestion, then those reservations should at minimum be guaranteed and free for pass holders. Timed arrivals or capacity limits are understandable, but charging loyal pass holders extra fees — or making them compete every week for limited free spots — is not.

The current system already proves Vail recognizes that free parking is the right approach; they’re simply rationing it instead of making it accessible to the community that keeps Stevens Pass alive. Whether through fully removing reservations in Lots 1–4, eliminating parking fees for pass holders, or permanently dedicating free reserved parking areas for local pass holders, there are fairer solutions available.

Stevens Pass has always been a mountain built around its local ski and snowboard community. Access shouldn’t become a paywall.

Sign this petition to demand that Vail Resorts keep Stevens Pass accessible, affordable, and fair for the people who call it home.