The Seattle Public Library Now Loans The Discover Pass, Offering Free Vehicle Access To The State’s Outdoor Areas
release date: June 8, 2021
Just in time for summer hiking season, The Seattle Public Library is loaning limited numbers of the Discover Pass to Library cardholders.
The Discover Pass is a motor vehicle permit required for vehicle access to millions of acres of public parks and recreational land across Washington, including more than 100 state parks, more than 350 primitive recreation sites, nearly 700 water-access points and nearly 2,000 miles of designated water and land recreation trails.
“Whether they want to swim, hike, boat or camp, our patrons now have more access to Washington State’s unparalleled outdoor areas through this program,” said Andrew Harbison, interim director of Library Programs and Services for The Seattle Public Library.
Library patrons can use their Library card to reserve a Discover Pass in the online catalog, as they would a book or other Library material. When the pass becomes available, they can pick it up at an open Library location. The checkout period for a Discover Pass is two weeks. The Library expects the program to be very popular.
By loaning Discover Passes to patrons free of charge, Washington state libraries are making access to public lands more equitable by removing a financial barrier for residents. Washington state charges $30-$35 for an annual Discover Pass and $10-$11.50 for a one-day pass.
The Discover Pass loan program is part of Check out Washington, a partnership between Washington state and Washington’s public libraries created to expand access to public land in the state. Washington State Parks offers this program in partnership with the Washington State Library and the Washington Departments of Fish & Wildlife and Natural Resources.
The Discover Pass is renewable for regular renewal periods if there are no holds, though the Library does expect many holds and a limited number of passes are available. The passes are packaged in a custom sleeve, which also includes a map of state parks. The Library is asking patrons to return passes directly to a Library’s circulation desk, instead of a book drop, due to the Pass’s fragile nature.
The Library offers other materials to help patrons explore the outdoors, including local outdoor recreation guides and maps, such as Green Trails hiking maps for Washington and Oregon (large-scale topographic maps); National Geographic Trails Illustrated Maps for Washington and Oregon; SeaTrails kayaking; and small craft maps for Washington and Fish n’ Map Co. fishing maps of Washington state. A full list of these resources can be found at www.spl.org/OutdoorRecreation.
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