[EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected to fix the name of the Discover Pass and the ending date of the chinook season.]
I purchased a Discover Pass during a visit to Fort Worden this past winter.
While I didn’t enjoy spending $30 for the right to park my car somewhere, I figured it was money fairly well spent because of all the places the pass would get me into.
A big part of my thinking was that Hurricane Ridge is so close, so I was bound to use the pass a few times, and therefore it would pay for itself.
I’m sure many of you see a huge flaw in my plan, and I’m ashamed that I didn’t as well.
So, I went to Hurricane Ridge earlier this week, and proudly displayed my Discover Pass as if it were a backstage pass to a rock concert.
I rolled down my window, merely as a formality and with the expectation that the person in the booth to waive me in.
Instead, he informed me that my pass was only good for state parks.
Rejection.
I had to spend $15 for a pass that is good for seven days.
I get that a national park and a state park are different.
But for some reason, I thought the Discover Pass was good for both types of park.
Looking at it now, I realize that it was a dumb assumption.
My bad. Shame on me.
But what I couldn’t stop thinking about as I drove the winding road up to Hurricane Ridge — besides making sure the trip would be worth $15 — was how expensive the outdoors can be.
To visit Olympic National Park and the state parks of the North Olympic Peninsula, I have to purchase two $30 passes.
And, for a sizable portion of the year, the winter months, Olympic National Park is usually only open on Saturdays and Sundays for skiing and snowboarding, and only if the weather is good.
And then, you need skis or a snowboard and coats and gloves.
To fish outside the national park will cost you another $29 to $55.
So, if you’re fishing on state-managed land, or using a state water access site, you’ll have to pay up to $85 per year. And that doesn’t include fishing gear and boat maintenance.
For years, there has been a movement to get kids away from things like television and video games, and return to the great outdoors.
But, the thing is, the indoors are probably less expensive.
This is more of a rant than anything else.
Everything good costs money these days, and I doubt our governing bodies would decide to one day stop asking for our cash.
And upkeep for these parks probably isn’t cheap, either.
It’s just a shame.
ShellFest
Saturday is ShellFest at Fort Flagler State Park on Marrowstone Island.
ShellFest, put on by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Washington State Parks Foundation’s celebration, is set for 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Fort Flagler.
The event includes exhibits, a guided interpretive low-tide walk, food, hands-on children’s activities and educational information about restoring and protecting shellfish beds in Puget Sound.
ShellFest is free, but, of course, a Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to Fort Flagler State Park.
For more information, visit www.tinyurl.com/ShellFest.
One day left
Don’t forget, the final day of the hatchery chinook season on the Strait of Juan de Fuca is upon us.
The Marine Area 5 (Sekiu, Pillar Point) and 6 (Port Angeles) fisheries come to an end Thursday.
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Outdoors columnist Lee Horton appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
