I heard this weekend that the Forest Service has managed a way around that. I've been planning to renew my pass but haven't gotten around to it yet. I thought that if I received a warning, then I'd be pushed into buying a new pass, but that hasn't happened yet, either.
Did you hear something from a Forest Service employee? Arguably, there's no legal way around it. From the Forest Service website:
"Standard Amenity Fees
"Examples: Picnic areas, developed trailheads, destination visitor centers, high impact recreation areas
"Explanation: Typically, standard amenity fees are day use fees, often covered by a day or annual pass. Each site or area must contain six 'amenities,' which are picnic tables, trash, toilet, parking, interpretive signing and security."
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Source; The specific FLREA law is linked to in this source and can also be found in some of the other threads that Stash alludes to.)
One attempted way that the Forest Service has tried to circumvent the law out West has been declare several separate trailheads to be within the same area. However, that would seem unlikely to hold up in court. Indeed, in Arizona, someone recently had the fee dismissed because the closest amenities, for which he was being charged a use fee, were miles from the trailhead that he was using. (
Source)