Olympic National Park, Olympic National Forest and Washington state parks will be open to visitors fee-free on Saturday in observance of the 30th anniversary of National Public Lands Day.
The theme for this year is 30 Years of Care and Community. Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is traditionally the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort.
Residents and visitors of the Olympic Peninsula are encouraged to get outside and explore public lands to enjoy hiking, fishing, camping or a picnic or volunteer to help care for the site.
The Olympic National Park fee waiver for the fee-free days applies only to the entrance fees and does not cover amenity or user fees for camping, boat launches, transportation, special tours or other activities, such as wilderness camping.
Fees are normally required to enter all areas of Olympic National Park. For information, and to buy passes online, see https://www.nps.gov/olym/plan yourvisit/fees.htm.
The U.S. Forest Service will waive standard recreation use fees for Forest Service-managed picnic areas, boat launches, trailheads and visitor centers.
Fees for camping, cabin rentals and any necessary permits still apply, and fees will also be charged at concessionaire-operated recreation sites unless the concessionaire chooses to participate.
For more information about Forest Service recreation passes and fees, see https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r6/passes-permits.
On state fee-free days, visitors are not required to display a Discover Pass for day-use visits to a state park or on lands managed by the state Department of Natural Resources or state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
State parks on the North Olympic Peninsula are Bogachiel near Forks, Hoko River near Clallam Bay, Dosewallips near Brinnon, Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island, Fort Townsend and Fort Worden in Port Townsend, Anderson Lake near Chimacum and Sequim Bay near Sequim.
Discover Passes cost $30 for an annual pass or $10 for a one-day permit.
The pass is required for vehicle access to state recreation lands managed by State Parks, Fish and Wildlife and DNR.
For information about the Discover Pass, visit Discover Pass.wa.gov.
