No. 303 2015 Washington State Discover Pass Free Days

Washington State Parks and Recreation turns 102 this year.

Website: http://www.parks.wa.gov/

List of 2015 “Discover Pass Fee free days” in 2015 when visitors are not required to display the Discover Pass to visit a Washington State Park. 

• Jan. 18-19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• March 19: State Parks' 102nd birthday
• April 4: Saturday Spring Day
• April 22: Earth Day
• May 10: Sunday Spring Day
• June 6: National Trails Day
• June 13: National Get Outdoors Day
• Aug. 25: National Park Service Birthday
• Sept. 26: National Public Lands Day
• Nov. 11: Veterans Day

In 1913 Washington State legislature creates the Washington State Board of Park Commissioners. The first two were formed from donated land in 1915 : The John R. Jackson House, a pioneer heritage site near Chehalis, and the Chuckanut State Park. In 1947 the State Park Committee was renamed to the Washington State Park and Recreation Commission and given the authority to oversee the state park system, purchase land and collect fees. 

PARK PRESERVES THE 1845 LOG CABIN OF ONE OF THE VERY EARLIEST PIONEERS TO SETTLE IN WASHINGTON. THIS WAS THE FIRST U.S. DISTRICT COURT IN 1850 AND WAS A STOPPING PLACE ALONG THE OREGON TRAIL

As of June 2011 there are 117 State Parks covering 138,000 acres which includes uplands, lowlands, aquatic and marine life areas. The Washington Department of Natural Resources owns an additional 3,000,000 acres throughout the Evergreen State. 

Checkout the WSPR list for further information and to reserve a campsite 

List of 2014 "Fee Free Days"

If you plan on visiting and exploring Washington State-managed land this year outside of the Fee Free Days you will need to have a Discover Pass. Fine for not displaying the pass is $99. 

Here is a list of some of my favorite State Parks 

Click on the links below to learn more about each park

North Sound State Parks

Bay View State Park 

Deception Pass State Park 

Fort Casey, Whidbey Island

Fort Ebey State Park, Whidbey Island

Moran State Park, Orcas Island

Western Washington

Fort Flagler

Seattle Area State Parks

Wallace Falls State Park

Lake Sammamish State Park, Issaquah Washington

Southern Washington 

Rainbow Falls State Park

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

North Head Lighthouse, Cape Disappointment, WA

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No. 296 Pacific Rim Bonsai Museum

Pacific Rim Bonsai Museum
2515 S. 336th St.
Federal Way, WA 98003
website: http://pacificbonsaimuseum.org/
MAP IT 

Hours

Tuesdays – Sundays (closed Mondays)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM year-round

Admission is free.

The Pacific Bonsai Museum features outstanding bonsai from the Pacific Rim nations of Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States.

Weyerhaeuser Company opened the Collection in 1989, in conjunction with the Washington State Centennial celebration. The Collection was established to symbolize Weyerhaeuser’s long-term commitments to its customers, its community, and its forest resources. At the end of 2013 the corporation gifted the entire collection to a new non-profit, The George Weyerhaeuser Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection, now known as the Pacific Bonsai Museum.

There are currently about 100 trees in the Collection, about 60 of which are on display in the viewing area, while the others are held in reserve in a “growing area” that is not open to the public. Trees are periodically rotated between the growing area and display area in order to add variety and seasonal interest to the exhibit. Many of the trees are well-known to those familiar with the art, having been featured in books or magazines. Several of the trees have won awards for quality and many are the work of nationally or internationally famous artists. All have been nurtured with care and patience by skilled hands.

Museum Mission

The Pacific Bonsai Museum collection serves as cultural and educational resource for the Puget Sound region and beyond. Visitors of all ages and cultures will be inspired and delighted as they discover the depth and beauty of this interpretive art form.

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No. 182 Maple Grove Beach and Boat Launch

Maple Grove Boat Ramp

682-698 S Boat Ramp Rd

Camano Island, WA

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Located on the north west corner of Camano Island, west Utsalady Bay, the Maple Grove Boat Ramp offers salt water access to boaters and kayakers. There are 5 parking stalls for vehicles and 15 for trailers. Be careful you park in the appropriate parking place or you might  get towed especially during fishing season. As with any beach along the Puget Sound tidal flows will increase or decrease the size of the beach. There are stairs that lead you from the parking lot down to the rocky beach. The beach during low tide is about 400 yards wide.
Maple Grove is about 10 minutes from English Boom Reserve and offers open western views to Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Crescent Bay and Skagit Bay.

This is one of the few areas to have public access to salt water on the north end of Camano Island. Much of the western and northern shoreline are private property or belong to gated communities that prohibit the public from the beach.

Maple Grove offers views of Mount Bakers south western slope, Whidbey Island, Skagit Bay and Crescent Harbor.

Western Slope of Mount Baker during sunset "Golden Hour"

mooring buoy off of Maple Grove

Sun Glare looking over at Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island

Maple Grove Residences

Sunset Sunburst over Whidbey Island, WA

Gear Used:
 

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No.125 Nisqually WIldlife Refuge

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge
I-5 Exit 114
8 Miles north of Olympia
Website: http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Nisqually/

MAP IT
Open Daily Sunrise to Sunset
$3 fee per group of 4 Adults



The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service on the Nisqually River Delta near Puget Sound in northeastern Thurston County, Washington and northwestern Pierce County, Washington. The refuge is located just off Interstate 5, between the cities of Tacoma and Olympia.
The 12.6 km² refuge was created in 1974 to provide habitat and nesting areas for waterfowl and other migratory birds. It includes a protected estuary, salt marshes and open mudflats, freshwater marshes, open grassland, and riparian woodland and brush. An additional 3.2 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi) planned is protected by the disjoint Black River Unit on a tributary of the Chehalis River.
Over 20,000 birds, made up of 275 different migrating species, use the freshwater marshes and grasslands for breeding, resting or wintering. The most abundant bird types include raptors, shorebirds and songbirds. Larger animals such as hawks and coyotes feast in the grassland due to the presence of mice and voles.
The riparian woodland and brush habitats contain many amphibians, mammals and reptiles. The Refuge has around 5 miles of walking trails. The one-mile long raised boardwalk Twin Barns Loop Trail takes you past various marshes and small ponds, past the Twin Barns and then to open estuary.

Entrance to Nisqually Refuge

Portion of Twin Barns Loop Trail

The Eastern Twin of the Twin Barns

Mallard Duck eating algae in a pond

Everyone is in on it

A Young Red Tailed Hawk keeps an eye on the walkers below

Be mindful of the squirrels

Spider Web covered in morning dew

wildlife photos

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