Recreational Passes Needed For Michigan State Parks

If you want to check out a Michigan State Park this summer, you'll need to make sure you have a recreations pass starting today.

The Michigan DNR waived all park fees in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic. They made the decision based on cutting down person to person contact at the park gates, but there was another huge positive effect. With the state on lock down, and most public spaces closed, people were itching to get outside.

With the park fees waived, more and more people used the expansive trails and open areas of the parks as ways to get out of the house. The timing could not have been better, as it's proven that just simply walking in the woods can boost a persons mood and overall health.

Unfortunately, the parks do cost quite a bit of money to run, so the park fees needed to be put back in place. The DNR reminded people online about the return of the fees.

Normally you would just opt in for the recreation pass when you renew your license, but even that has been suspended during the pandemic. The DNR released some details about how to get a pass if you currently do not have one.

Residents can purchase the passport when renewing license plates through the Secretary of State (for $12) or when visiting a state park (for $17). Out-of-state visitors can purchase the passport online or at state parks for $34 (annual pass) or $9 (daily pass).

Along with the parks reopening, they have been working hard to make sure the facilities are going to be back at full service. During the pandemic, most of the parks public bathrooms were shut down, but should be open today.

This summer has already been extremely hot, and it looks like it will be for the rest of the summer. The perfect way to enjoy the warm weather is by being outside in one of our great state parks.