Annual Recreation Passes of Oregon and Washington
There is no worse feeling than driving seven miles up an unmaintained mountain road with potholes the size of bathtubs in a subcompact only to discover you don’t have the pass you need for the trailhead parking - and there’s no way to buy one there! Learn from my mistakes and hike prepared. I hike often and all over, so I now have many of the recreation passes available, but depending on where and how often you like to hike, this might not be the right choice for you. Here I’ll break down the most common annual recreation passes for Oregon and Washington to help you know which ones to stock up on for the year.
Top Spur Trailhead accepts the Northwest Forest Pass
The Northwest Forest Pass
Cost: $30 (plus $5 handling fee for online orders)
Lasts for: 1 year
How to use: Hang the decal from the rearview mirror of your car. Interchangeable between vehicles of a household. Sign in the box on the pass to validate.
Where to use it: This pass is required all over the place in both Oregon and Washington, sometimes in remote areas without a fee station to purchase day passes. It is used for many trails around popular sites like the Columbia Gorge, Mt Hood, Mt St Helens, Deschutes National Forest, the Umpqua National Forest, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Olympic National Forest, and the Oregon Coast.
It covers day-use fees only, not overnight camping fees or certain special activities like rock climbing or gathering forest materials.
Is it worth it? Day passes in areas requiring the NW Forest Pass are generally $5, so if you use it 5-6 times in a year it will pay for itself. At least as important, you won’t be stuck at a trailhead requiring it without a way to get one. Even when a fee station is available, they sometimes take cash only (and exact change), which I rarely have when I’m hiking. Alternatively, you can buy a day-use ePass (again, generally $5), but it requires a printer and planning ahead. I’m a big fan of keeping the annual pass in the glove compartment to minimize slip-ups.
If you only hike occasionally and frequent more popular trailheads with fee stations, then the annual pass may not be worth it for you. Otherwise, this pass is versatile and handy, granting access to some phenomenal hikes.
Note: if you have an America the Beautiful pass (discussed below) you probably don’t need a NW Forest Pass. The America the Beautiful Pass will cover almost all NW Forest Pass areas.
Where to purchase:
Forest Service Office
Local business selling them - there may be one on the way to your hike
Online - you will receive it in the mail after 2-7 business days
Where to find more information: Purchase passes, find vendor sites, and learn more about the NW Forest Pass here.
Beacon Rock State Park accepts the Discover Pass
The Discover Pass
Cost: $30 (plus a $5 transaction fee)
Lasts for: 1 year
How to use: Hang the decal from your rearview mirror. Covers up to 2 vehicles (one at a time). License plate numbers must be written on the pass in pen or marker.
Where to use it: This pass covers day-use fees for Washington State Parks. It is not needed for any parks in Oregon. Close to Portland, this pass is used for several popular spots in the Columbia Gorge, including Beacon Rock and Columbia Hills State Park. I found it invaluable when visiting the Olympic Peninsula, where it is required all sorts of places you’d want to stop.
It is NOT interchangeable with the NW Forest Pass. They cover different parks.
Like the NW Forest Pass, it only covers day-use fees, not camping or special activity fees.
Is it worth it? Day use fees in areas requiring the Discover Pass are $10, so if you use it more than 3 times, it will pay for itself. Based on what I’ve noticed, the Discover Pass parks seem more likely to have fee stations available on-site than NW Forest Pass areas, often with options for credit card payment, but it’s not guaranteed.
If you do much hiking in Washington, it is probably worth it to get this pass. It grants access to many parks and only takes a few uses to pay for itself. If you are only hiking in Oregon, you can go ahead and skip this pass.
There are a dozen or so free days at Washington State Parks throughout the year as well, so if you have a specific outing in mind, it might be worth coordinating around those days.
Where to purchase:
Fee station kiosks at certain Washington State Parks
Online
Where to find more information: For information about free days, fee stations, and to purchase a pass, go here.
Cape Lookout State Park accepts the Oregon State Park Pass
Oregon State Park Pass
Cost: $30 (1 year) or $50 (2 years)
Lasts for: 1-2 years depending on whether you buy the $30 or $50 pass.
How to use: Hang the decal on the rearview mirror. If you purchase the pass online, it can take several weeks to arrive. There is an option to print a temporary paper pass in the meantime. This pass can be transferred between vehicles.
Where to use it: There are 26 state parks in Oregon that charge a day-use fee. I found this pass to be most useful along the Oregon Coast, although there are also parks in the Columbia Gorge, near Bend, and in the Willamette Valley that require this pass. These parks often have good amenities like picnic areas.
Like the passes above, the Oregon State Park Pass covers day-use fees. Camping fees would be different and you would not need to pay a day-use fee if you had paid for camping fees.
It is NOT interchangeable with the NW Forest Pass, Discover Pass, or America the Beautiful Pass. None of those passes are valid for Oregon State Parks.
Is it worth it? Parks requiring this pass have day-use fees of $5, so if you use it at least 6 times in a year, it would pay for itself. Depending on the parks you visit and often you go, the annual pass may or may not be worth it. I tend not to use this pass as often as the ones mentioned above, although it does come up once and while. Ecola State Park and Cape Lookout State Park are a couple of amazing spots on the Oregon Coast that require this pass to save the $ 5-day use fee. When I’ve needed it, there have been opportunities to purchase day passes at fee stations.
Where to purchase:
State Park offices
Online
Where to find more information: To see which parks require this pass, where to purchase, and to purchase online, go here.
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area accepts the Oregon Coast Passport
The Oregon Coast Passport
Cost: $35
Lasts for: 1 year. There is also an option to purchase a 5-day pass for $10.
How to use it: Passes are interchangeable between vehicles of the same household.
Where to use it: There are 17 parks along the Oregon Coast that honor this pass. I’ll go ahead and list them here since there aren’t too many:
Ft. Stevens State Park
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
Ecola State Park
Nehalem Bay State Park
Cape Lookout State Park
Sand Lake Recreation Area
Hebo Lake
Drift Creek Falls Trail
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
Marys Peak Recreation Area
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area
Heceta Head Lighthouse Viewpoint
Sutton Recreation Area
Honeyman State Park
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
Shore Acres State Park
Is it worth it? There are some wonderful parks on this list, but I decided not to get this pass because there is a lot of overlap with other passes. For instance, Ecola State Park accepts the State Park Pass, Cape Perpetua accepts the NW Forest Pass and America the Beautiful Pass, and Yaquina Head accepts the America the Beautiful Pass.
If you already have some of the other passes, or if you don’t see yourself visiting more than a few of these parks in a year, this annual pass probably isn’t worth it. If, however, you don’t have the other passes and spend a lot of time at the coast, this pass could be a good choice. Day passes at these sites are generally $5, although some vary, like Yaquina Head which charges $7 for a 3-day pass.
Where to purchase:
Forest Service Offices
Oregon State Park offices
Sent by mail by calling the State Park Info Center (800-551-6949)
Where to find more information: Find details about the pass here.
Crater Lake National Park accepts the America the Beautiful Interagency Pass
America the Beautiful Pass
Cost: This pass has several different types. I’ll mostly discuss the general Interagency Pass, but there are several options based on demographics:
$80 for a general annual Interagency Pass
$20 for a senior annual pass (62+ years)
$80 for a senior lifetime pass (62+ years)
Free annual pass for active military personnel, dependents, and veterans
Free lifetime pass for those with a permanent disability
Free pass for 4th graders
Lasts for: 1 year for most pass options, see above for details.
How to use it: Place the card in the holder decal and hang it from the rearview mirror or present the card at the park’s entrance station. It admits the pass holder and occupants of the same vehicle. For per-person fees, it admits the pass holder and 3 additional people. You must sign the pass to validate it. Passes are non-transferable. You may need to present your ID to use it.
Where to use it: I saved the best for last. This pass is the crème de la crème of all recreation passes, granting access to National Forests, Parks, and Monuments. There is a lot of overlap with the NW Forest Pass in Oregon and Washington, but the America the Beautiful pass also includes National Parks like Crater Lake and Mount Rainier, which have high entrance fees ($30/vehicle).
Is it worth it? If you are at least 62 years old, get a lifetime pass for $80. It’s an amazing deal, even if you don’t use it often.
For the rest of us, it depends. If you are planning on visiting at least a couple of National Parks this year, go ahead and get this pass instead of the NW Forest Pass. Also if you are traveling to sites run by the National Park Service in other states, this pass is probably a good choice. If you are mostly hiking in Oregon and Washington and not planning on visiting the National Parks this year, the NW Forest Pass is probably going to be a better deal.
Where to purchase:
Forest Service Office
Online (extra charge for shipping)
Where to find more information: Learn more about the passes and purchase online here.
Multnomah Falls requires a unique seasonal pass
Other more specialized passes
Oregon Sno-Park Pass: Required seasonally (Nov 1 - April 30) to park at Oregon Sno-Park sites, $25 annually. Day passes are $4. Also valid in California and Idaho Sno-Parks. Consider if you ski regularly or like exploring mountain areas in winter.
Metro Park Pass: Waives parking fees at 5 parks near Portland: Oxbow and Blue Lake regional parks, Broughton Beach, Chinook Landing Marine Park, and M. James Gleason Memorial Boat Ramp. Annually $40 (general), $30 (senior), $10 (people with a disability). Consider if you visit these specific parks often.
Site-specific passes: Some sites will require a pass or permit specific to that location only, so it’s always a good idea to check regulations before you head out. Examples are the seasonal Multnomah Falls and Dog Mountain permits in the Columbia Gorge. There are no annual forms of these passes.
Final thoughts: Oregon and Washington have many incredible trails, beaches, and parks that don’t require day-use fees. You could probably visit a different one every day of the year. That being said, I’ve found that committing to an annual pass encourages me to explore more and try out things I might have otherwise skipped. There is also a lot of convenience in having the hang tag all ready to go rather than finding and grappling with the fee stations. However, if you don’t write a blog about Pacific NW outdoor activities, you may be understandably hesitant to shell out over $100 in annual pass fees. If you’re wondering whether you would use an annual pass enough to justify the cost, try out a NW Forest Pass. Worst case scenario, fees from all the annual passes go towards maintaining parks, so the money will be put to good use.
Enjoy the trails!
With love,
Emma
