California State Parks Pass Program

In partnership with the First Partner’s Office and the California State Library, State Parks is providing free passes to over 200 participating state park units operated by State Parks to library-card holders.

No. Below you will find some details on the pass:

• Valid for entry of one passenger vehicle with capacity of nine people or less or one highway licensed motorcycle at participating state park units.
• Valid any day of the week, including holidays, if space is available. Pass does not guarantee parking space.
• Pass does not provide access to State Vehicular Recreation Areas (off-highway vehicles parks).
• Not valid for per-person entry or tour fees (such as Hearst Simeon State Historical Monument, Railroad Museum, etc.), camping, boat use fees, group use or sites, special events, oversized vehicle fees, additional/extra vehicle fees, swimming pool fees, sanitation disposal use, or for supplemental fees.

A list of ineligible park units and full terms and conditions is available at CheckOutCAStateParks.com or on this map of eligible parks and all library branches in California.

No, the pass is only valid within the 200+ participating state park units.

No. The pass entitles the user to a free vehicle day-use entry for one passenger vehicle with capacity of nine people or less or one highway licensed motorcycle at over 200 participating state park units.

Also, the pass is not valid for per-person entry or tour fees (such as museums), boat use, group use or sites, special events, additional/extra vehicle fees, sanitation disposal use or for supplemental fees. To see a list of ineligible parks click here, and read full terms and conditions here.

Each pass has a 10-day loan period and can be requested through the link above. No renewals are allowed.

Fees will not be charged for the late return or loss of the passes, however, they will be deactivated if not returned within 10 days of their due date.

Other pass programs that provide free access to state parks include the Golden Bear Pass program, which provides CalWORKS recipients free admission to the same parks. Many veterans have free access, and fourth graders have free access to 19 state parks through the Adventure Pass. To learn more about these options, visit parks.ca.gov/passes.