Washington State Parks Free For 12 Days In 2022

OLYMPIA, WA — Looking to plan ahead for next year's big camping trip? Well wait no longer, because Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Natural Resources and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have teamed up to put together a list of 12 days in 2022 when you can access their lands for free.

On the following 12 days of 2022, visitors will not need Discover passes to park at state parks, or on recreational lands managed by the DNR or Department of Fish and Wildlife:

• Saturday, Jan. 1 – New Year’s Day
• Monday, Jan. 17 – Martin Luther King Day
• Wednesday, March 9 - Billy Frank Jr.’s birthday
• Saturday, March 19 – Washington State Parks’ birthday
• Friday, April 22 – Earth Day
• Saturday, June 11 – National Get Outdoors Day
• Sunday, June 12 – Free Fishing Weekend
• Sunday, June 19 - Juneteenth
• Saturday, Sept. 24 – National Public Lands Day
• Monday, Oct. 10 – World Mental Health Day
• Friday, Nov. 11 – Veterans Day
• Friday, Nov. 25 – Native American Heritage Day

You may notice a few of those free days are different from 2021. That's because this year Washington State Parks removed free days on springtime day (the first Saturday in April), National Trails Day (first Saturday of June) and National Park Service birthday (Aug. 25). In exchange, they've added Billy Frank Jr.'s birthday, Juneteenth and World Mental Health Day.

The addition of Juneteenth is part of a broader effort by Washington to recognize the holiday, which commemorates the day Union Army general Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery in Texas.

“These free day additions provide a renewed opportunity for all Washingtonians to reflect on the cultures and heritages that make our public lands so special,” said Dr. John Scott, diversity, equity and inclusion director for Parks. “It’s also a reflection of the state’s continued progress and commitment toward creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive experience for all who recreate in Washington’s great outdoors.”

Mental Health Day, meanwhile, was added to "acknowledge the power of nature to restore mental health" the agency said.

Finally, Billy Frank Jr.’s birthday recognizes Frank Jr. — former chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and longtime environmental activist — for his work protecting endangered salmon and restoring lands to the Nisqually Tribe.

"Billy Frank Jr. Day is a day to be outside giving back to Mother Earth," said Frank's son, Nisqually Chairman Willie Frank III. "I do believe my dad wouldn't want us to take the day off. He would want us to be out replanting trees or cleaning up the riverbanks. This is a day for the state of Washington to feel a little bit of Billy Magic."

>> Plan a trip to one of Washington's more than 140 state parks and learn more about the free days in 2022 online.