Question on Best Overall "Pass" for OR - West Coast

[snomad]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

State Parks are all handled individually (Not part of the National system) - This lists all the State park passes:
https://www.tripsavvy.com/state-park...ntrance%20pass.

take the information from the linked tripsavey site with some skepticism. for instance, they represent Washington State's Discover Pass as "for day-use at all Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sites". NOT CORRECT. the WA pass is good at state lands: state parks admittance (not camping), Dept of Natural Natural Resources and Fish & Wildlife lands NOT Federal lands.

just saying

[Aldercrest]

We live on the Oregon Coast. We typically get several passes each year:

1. NW Forest Pass - useful in the Cascades and eastern Oregon and Washington.
2. National Parks Annual Pass - allows access into all national parks, including some minor federal areas on the Oregon Coast.
3. Oregon State Parks Pass - allows access into or parking at all Oregon state parks and waysides, of which there are dozens and dozens along the Oregon Coast. As snomad said, the State Parks Pass is for day-use; camping requires a separate reservation.

[Glenn P.]

Regarding the National Parks Lifetime Pass, there is now one available for Veterans and as of this year they changed it from a free annual to a Lifetime pass so if you are a Veteran make sure to ask for your free Lifetime Veterans National Parks Pass. I have veteran status shown on my drivers license and I just need to present that to get it, I suppose a copy of your DD214 would likely work but I don't recall.

[Umnak]

Oregon State Parks and Recreation areas charge an additional fee for non-state residents. The parks along the coast are primarily for hook-up and are pricey. There are a couple of federal areas near the dunes that we've used and get the discount with our Geezer Pass. The Oregon Outback, high desert and forests have a lot of federal land.

[Aldercrest]

Good point, Umnak. There is some federal land along the coast, but there are also sizeable state forest tracks on the north coast east of Tillamook and the south coast east of Coos Bay. These state forest areas (at least near Tillamook) have established rougher fee campgrounds, but they also allow boondocking at no cost and without any permit.

[Adventure4Vets]

One thing to add for Veterans. If you have a disability rating, you can apply for the "Access Pass." The Access Pass will grant you free entrance into National Parks and also allow you to book campgrounds at a %50 discount. See attached flow chart for more.