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Tuesday is free entry day at state, national parks

Washington's Discover Pass -- $30 a year or $10 a day -- debuts in July 2011 as a requirement for vehicles parking in state parks and most other state DNR and Fish and Wildlife lands and facilities. (The Spokesman-Review)
By Rich Landers richl@spokesman.com(509) 459-5508
Washington's Discover Pass -- $30 a year or $10 a day -- debuts in July 2011 as a requirement for vehicles parking in state parks and most other state DNR and Fish and Wildlife lands and facilities. (The Spokesman-Review)
Washington's Discover Pass -- $30 a year or $10 a day -- debuts in July 2011 as a requirement for vehicles parking in state parks and most other state DNR and Fish and Wildlife lands and facilities. (The Spokesman-Review)

PARKS — Tuesday. Aug. 25. is a “free day” at Washington State Parks. Day-use visitors will not need a Discover Pass on their vehicles while visiting Riverside, Mount Spokane or other state parks.

The free day is in honor of the 99th birthday of the National Park Service, which was established on Aug. 25, 1916.

Indeed, national parks such as Mount Rainier also are offering free entry on Tuesday.

State Parks free days are in keeping with legislation that created the Discover Pass, a $30 annual or $10 one-day permit required on lands managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington departments of Natural Resources and  Fish & Wildlife.

The Discover Pass legislation provided that State Parks could designate up to 12 free days each year when the pass would not be required to visit state parks.

The Discover Pass is still required to access lands managed by WDFW and DNR on these days.

Free days apply only to day-use visits with vehicles, not overnight stays or rented facilities.

Two more free days are scheduled for state parks in 2015:

  • Sept. 26, National Public Lands Day.
  • Nov. 11, Veterans Day.

* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "Outdoors Blog." Read all stories from this blog