September 24, 2023
2023-09-24T00:00:00
Yes! you can check out a California State Park Pass for a 2-week period. You can place a hold on a pass online, as described on this page. Passes are part of the library until June 30, 2024, so there's plenty of time to think about where you would like to go.
Any Branch of the Humboldt County Library, during open hours
Free, thanks to a partnership between the California State Library and the California State Parks.
Use Your Library Card to Check out a Free Pass to California State Parks.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Planning a family vacation, a hike with friends, or just in need of a quiet day outdoors? Get a free day-use pass valid at any of 200 participating California State Parks. The pass can be checked out for up to 2 weeks. Visit as many parks as you like. Then return the pass for others to use. Check one out like a book, any time it has 'check shelf' status in the online catalog (ask at your library service desk to get it). Place a hold on a pass if it's checked out to someone else and you want to be in line for it. Find it by title in the library catalog, as 'California State Library Parks Pass'.
Check Out a California State Library Parks Pass
A Free Day-Use Pass for Your Car Full of People (or Just You)
The pass allows free day-use entry and parking for one vehicle that can hold nine people or less, or one highway-licensed motorcycle. The pass can be used at any of over 200 participating state park units. There are many nearby, including Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Sue-meg State Park (formerly Patrick's Point), Fort Humboldt State Historical Park, and Benbow Lake State Recreation Area - for just a few examples! Visit as many parks as you like, or visit the same park over and over, until it's time to return your pass to the library.
To see a map that shows nearby California State Parks, click here.
Your park visit can be even more fun when you check out a small backpack that holds field guides and tools for exploring nature. Ask library staff about this option. Read more about it here.
Here's What Else You Should Know - Not Every Park is Included
The pass is for California State Parks. It does not get you in free to parks that are operated by federal or local government or private agencies. For example, Redwood National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park are all federal parks and are not included. A. W. Way County Park and Van Duzen County Park are Humboldt County parks and, like all County parks, are not included.
A few California State Park units are not included. To see lists of California State Park units that do and don't accept the pass click here.
The Pass is for Day Use 
The free pass is for one vehicle, for day use, and is not valid for other fees. For example, if you decide to camp, you would still need to pay for camping. If the place you visit also has a museum that charges a fee for each person to enter, or offers a tour for a fee, you would still have to pay for those things if you want to do them. The pass does not cover extras like boat use, group use or group sites, special events, additional/extra vehicle fees, sanitation disposal for RVs, and so on. To read the full terms and conditions of the pass, click here.
The Pass Cannot be Renewed
You can check out one pass at a time. Enjoy your park visits, then return the pass by or before the due date so others can have a chance to use it. These passes will be in the library for 2 years, so there is plenty of time to take another trip later on.