No fee at state parks on March 19

OLYMPIA — Day visits to Washington state parks will be free on March 19, with visitors not required to display a Discover Pass.

March 19 is the third of 12 “free’’ days in 2017.

Discover Passes cost $30 annually or $10 for a single day. They are required for vehicle access to state recreation lands managed by state parks along with the departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources.

The state parks agency is allowed to designate a dozen free days a year. Free days apply only at state parks, not WDFW or WDNR lands.

The remaining free days are April 15, April 22, June 3, June 10, Aug. 25, Sept. 30, Nov. 11 and Nov. 24.

March 19 is the 104th birthday of Washington’s state parks agency.

The free days do not apply to sno-parks, which are winter recreation parking lots cleared of snow with funding from the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.