“We discovered that most states in the US charge a fee for people to access their State Parks and other state-managed recreation lands,” said Lauren Braden. “Fifteen states have no fee at all. Washington’s $30 Discover Pass is on the lower end, cost-wise, of states that have a fee. We believe that the Discover Pass stacks up pretty well and appears to be a good value.”
The new Discover Pass requirement goes into effect July 1, 2011, which is very exciting for those of us who love both the outdoors and red tape. I understand, however, that the mishmash of existing land management agencies and pass requirements may represent a confusing jumble for those who aren’t hobbyist regulation trackers. Here is a brief explanation of the recreation passes available here in the Northwest, and where they’ll get you.
At the start of 2011, Washington’s hikers faced the daunting proposition of losing access to our state lands, from Deception Pass to Mount Si to Frenchman Coulee to Beacon Rock. Each day brought a new list of potential closures and various proposed solutions, from per person fees to agency consolidation to higher license renewal donations. Hikers had questions: Would parks be open? Would we pay to visit them? How much?
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