Discover Pass (WA): Everything You Need to Know

If you want to access Washington State Parks and recreation lands, you’ll need a Discover Pass. Learn what it is and where to get one.

What’s a Discover Pass?

Discover Pass is a permit that gives you access to state parks and recreation lands in Washington.

You can use one Discover Pass between two vehicles, but only one vehicle at a time.

There are 124 state parks, 422 miles of trails, and 59 miles of beaches (Source: Washington Trails Association).

Including recreation lands, the numbers increase to 1,100 miles of trails, 160 recreation sites, and 2.2 million acres of forests.

Whether you want to bike, mountain bike, or enjoy a beautiful lake, a state park or recreation land will provide what you desire.

Washington is the Evergreen State. So, get a Discover Pass to experience all it has to offer.

Related article: Which States Are in the Pacific Northwest?

Where to buy a Discover Pass

An annual Discover Pass is $30, and a one-day pass is $10. There’s a $5 transaction and dealer fee for the yearly pass. The fee is $1.50 for the one-day pass.

You can buy a Discover Pass in any of the following ways:

• Online
• By calling 866-320-9933.
• In-person at retail locations or recreational license vendors.
• At State Parks headquarters or region offices.
• At state parks with staff.
• When you renew your vehicle license.
• Automated pay stations.

Some state parks have an automated pay station for you to buy an annual or one-day pass.

If you use the automated pay station, you’ll need your credit card, as it doesn’t accept cash.

Washington State Park Free Days

Each year, there are days you don’t need a Discover Pass to access state parks.

The Washington State Park free days only apply to day use. So, you can’t stay overnight or apply it towards rented facilities.

The following are the free days in 2022:

• January 1: First Day Hikes; New Year’s Day
• January 17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• March 9: Billy Frank Junior’s Birthday
• March 19: State Parks’ 108th Birthday
• April 22: Earth Day
• June 11: National Get Outdoors Day
• June 12: Free Fishing Day
• June 19: Juneteenth
• September 24: National Public Lands Day
• October 10: World Mental Health Day
• November 11: Veterans Day
• November 25: Native American Heritage Day

The free days are an excellent way to experience state parks.

Also, you can use it as an opportunity to decide whether a Discover Pass would be worth getting.

List of parks you can access with a Discover Pass

The following is a complete list of parks you can access with a Discover Pass:

• Alta Lake State Park
• Anderson Lake State Park
• Battle Ground Lake State Park
• Bay View State Park
• Beacon Rock State Park
• Belfair State Park
• Birch Bay State Park
• Blake Island State Park
• Blind Island State Park
• Bogachiel State Park
• Bottle Beach State Park
• Bridgeport State Park
• Bridle Trails State Park
• Brooks Memorial State Park
• Cama Beach State Park
• Camano Island State Park
• Camp Wooten State Park
• Cape Disappointment State Park
• Centennial Trail State Park
• Clark Island State Park
• Columbia Hills State Park
• Columbia Plateau Trail State Park
• Conconully State Park
• Crawford State Park
• Curlew Lake State Park
• Cutts Island State Park
• Daroga State Park
• Dash Point State Park
• Deception Pass State Park
• Doe Island State Park
• Dosewallips State Park
• Doug’s Beach State Park
• Eagle Island State Park
• Federation Forest State Park
• Fields Spring State Park
• Flaming Geyser State Park
• Fort Casey State Park
• Fort Columbia State Park
• Fort Ebey State Park
• Fort Flagler State Park
• Fort Simcoe State Park
• Fort Townsend Historical State Park
• Fort Worden State Park
• Ginkgo Petrified Forest
• Goldendale Observatory State Park
• Grayland Beach State Park
• Griffiths-Priday State Park
• Hope Island Marine State Park – Mason County
• Hope Island Marine State Park – Skagit County
• Ike Kinswa State Park
• Illahee State Park
• Jackson House State Park
• James Island State Park
• Jarrell Cove State Park
• Joemma Beach State Park
• Jones Island State Park
• Joseph Whidbey State Park
• Kanaskat-Palmer State Park
• Kinney Point State Park
• Kitsap Memorial State Park
• Klickitat State Park Trail
• Kopachuck State Park
• Lake Chelan State Park
• Lake Easton State Park
• Lake Sammamish State Park
• Lake Sylvia State Park
• Lake Wenatchee State Park
• Larrabee State Park
• Leadbetter Point State Park
• Lewis & Clark State Park
• Lewis & Clark Trail State Park
• Lime Kiln Point State Park
• Lincoln Rock State Park
• Lyons Ferry
• Manchester State Park
• Maryhill State Park
• Matia Island Marine State Park
• McMicken Island Marine State Park
• Millersylvania State Park
• Moran State Park
• Mount Pilchuck State Park
• Mount Spokane State Park
• Mystery Bay Marine State Park
• Nolte State Park
• Obstruction Pass State Park
• Ocean City State Park
• Olallie State Park
• Olmstead Place Historical State Park
• Pacific Beach State Park
• Pacific Pines State Park
• Palouse Falls State Park Heritage Site
• Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail
• Paradise Point State Park
• Patos Island Marine State Park
• Peace Arch Historical State Park
• Pearrygin Lake State Park
• Penrose Point State Park
• Peshastin Pinnacles State Park
• Pleasant Harbor State Park Property
• Posey Island Marine State Park
• Potholes State Park
• Potlatch State Park
• Rainbow Falls State Park
• Rasar State Park
• Reed Island State Park
• Riverside State Park
• Rockport State Park
• Sacajawea Historical State Park
• Saddlebag Island Marine State Park
• Saint Edward State Park
• Saltwater State Park
• Scenic Beach State Park
• Schafer State Park
• Seaquest State Park
• Sequim Bay State Park
• Shine Tidelands State Park
• Skagit Island Marine State Park
• South Whidbey State Park
• Spencer Spit State Park
• Spring Creek Hatchery State Park
• Squak Mountain State Park
• Squilchuck State Park
• Steamboat Rock State Park
• Steptoe Battlefield State Park Heritage Site
• Steptoe Butte State Park Heritage Site
• Stuart Island Marine State Park
• Sucia Island Marine State Park
• Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park
• Tolmie
• Triton Cove
• Turn Island Marine State Park
• Twanoh
• Twenty-Five Mile Creek
• Twin Harbors
• Wallace Falls State Park
• Ginkgo Petrified Forest/Wanapum Recreation Area
• Wenatchee Confluence State Park
• Westport Light State Park
• Willapa Hills State Park Trail
• Willie Keil’s Grave State Park Heritage Site
• Yakima Sportman State Park

Frequently asked questions about the Discover Pass

Conclusion

If you’re a Washington resident with a vehicle, the Discover Pass is a must-have.

It gives you access to more than 100 state parks and 350 campgrounds and picnic areas.

When you buy a pass, you’re supporting the land and facilities run by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

If you don’t have one yet, get one today to begin experiencing all that Washington has to offer.