NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Jan. 1.
OLYMPIA — State park visitors will not need to display a Discover Pass for day-use visits today.
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission set New Year’s Day as the first of 12 free days in 2016 when visitors are not required to display the Discover Pass to visit a state park.
The park service calls the day First Day Hikes Day.
State parks on the North Olympic Peninsula are Bogachiel near Forks, Dosewallips near Brinnon, Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island, Fort Townsend and Fort Worden in Port Townsend, Anderson Lake State Park near Chimacum and Sequim Bay near Sequim.
The Discover Pass is a $30 annual or $10 one-day permit required on recreation lands managed by State Parks, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the state Department of Natural Resources.
Free days apply only to day use, not to overnight stays or facilities.
Overnight visitors in state parks are charged fees for camping and other accommodations; day access is included in the overnight fee.
The free days apply only at state parks found at www.parks.wa.gov; the Discover Pass is still required on Fish and Wildlife and DNR lands.
Other 2016 State Parks free days are:
■ Jan. 17 and 18 — (Sunday and Monday) Martin Luther King Jr. Day
■ March 19 — (Saturday) Washington State Parks’ 103rd birthday.
■ March 26 — (Saturday) A springtime free Saturday.
■ April 22 — (Friday) Earth Day.
■ May 8 — (Sunday) A springtime free Sunday.
■ June 4 — (Saturday) National Trails Day.
■ June 11 — (Saturday) National Get Outdoors Day.
■ Aug. 25 — (Thursday) National Park Service 100th birthday.
■ Sept. 24 — (Saturday) National Public Lands Day.
■ Nov. 11 — (Friday) Veterans Day.
More information about the Discover Pass is at www.discoverpass.wa.gov, and more information about state parks is at www.washingtonstateparks.us.
