Washington Discover Pass-DNR, WDFW, State parks

Thanks for the link...I was blissfully unaware....goodbye $30

 

To what I am hearing that if you have your window hanger from hunting this year you do not have to buy it this year but is changing for 2012.

 

Just to clarify, Ill need one of these passes for just tooling around up in the hills? What about forest service roads?

 

They can kiss my white Irish a.ss.

 

This is BS

 

You don't need the pass to access DNR managed lands, only DNR managed recreational areas. There is a list of those areas by region and county on the link provided in the top post.

Jerry

 

I agree that spending even more money sucks but that feeling is quickly followed by the realization that the money for the passes will go to maintaining trails and cleaning up the trash that most users just leave behind. If you are in an area that requires a pass then you are most likely benefiting from it. After all, I think 8 cents a day is worth it! So, suck it up, stop whining, be an ADULT and start taking some responsablity for the services you use.

 

From the FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions

Q. If I am driving through a state recreation land or parking outside of a designated trailhead or non-exempt campground, will I need to buy a pass?
A. Yes. Anytime you are on state recreation lands managed by WDFW, DNR or State Parks, you will need a Discover Pass.

Bummer since I live so Close to Capitol Forest... Wonder how long of a grace period they will let slide? Or do they just throw up signs and expect 100% compliance?

 

Well, your logic is faulty. This isn't so they will start doing more for our recreation lands. This is because the state government took money I was already paying for the service of maintaining recreation lands and redirected it to things I care less about, knowing that I will pay their stupid $30 fee to use DNR land etc. While I wouldn't fund their other programs by choice...

 

So what the **** are they doing with my THOUSANDS of dollars I ALREADY pay in State taxes every year? I will GLADY stop paying sales tax, fuel tax, property tax, ext to the state in exchange for $30 pass. I HAVE paid my money (taxes) to the State to use the land.

 

Exactly.

 

Whoa!! Then I propose a $30 tax for walking in Seattle. It's painful, but then I'd realize the money was going toward repair of the sidewalk ... there are many more $30 taxes we can justify here ...

 

Then there are other fees including the National Forest Pass, the Sno-Park Permit, the xc ski groomed trail permit, the Oregon State Park Permit, the Oregon Coast Permit that does not cover the state parks that the Oregon state Park permit doesn't cover (several state parks on the coast), and county park fees.

I used to do about 20 hours of trail maintenance a year on trails in the Darrington (Waqshington) area, before the NF permit system came into place. I don't do it anymore because I just pay for the permit instead of "volunteering" at slave wages for the right to be able to walk along a forest trail.

 

I will add a little more to this. IF the area that requires you to pay to use it is an "improved" site like a camp ground, boat docks, staffed parks with services (water, toilets, ect) I can understand having nominal fees for those areas. Areas like that cost more then the "base" of unimproved land that our taxes are going for and I can see how "users" vs all of us should pay for that. I have never stayed in a pay to camp area and never plan on it.

Now if the fee is for accessing state land that is unimproved other then the existing road systems that the state needs with or without people using it, that is what my tax dollars pay for.

 

Up on the Yacolt burn forest they sure are getting the cut out. Where's all that money going? They put in a road, clearcut everything, then close the road! Not to mention they keep shutting down more and more areas to shoot. I grew up in that area, I spend a ton of time there, maybe not anymore. It's just become increasingly not worth it.