We recently purchased our new Florida State Parks annual family pass that allows us to enjoy any of the state's parks for the year. We've been getting one each year for the last several years as we have enjoyed exploring more of our state's natural areas and just being outdoors. With most state parks having a "car load" entry fee of $6, we only have to visit a Florida state park 10 times to get our money's worth. (Normally the family pass is $120 but we got it while it was on a special for a few months at the end of 2023.) Even if we don't end up using it that often, we don't mind the contribution to the state park system because we know the fees are used for upkeep and improvements.
As we began planning our Middle States trip, you may recall that we spent a lot of time looking at National Parks and historical sites to incorporate into our itinerary. And as those places began building a framework, we also started looking into the state park systems of the 17 states we will visit. For most states, we may visit one or two on our journey - we're even staying at the lodge at Quartz Mountain State Park in Oklahoma - so a park pass doesn't make a lot of financial sense. But as we'll be in Michigan for most of a week and have opportunity to visit several of their state parks, we opted to go ahead and order a non-resident "recreation passport" to use while there. Michigan has a daily rate of $11 for non-resident entry into their state parks, but they also offer an annual pass for non-residents for $40. We know we have three days we will visit a state park in Michigan, so rather than having to hassle with $11/day, it makes sense to get the annual pass. And just as we feel about "not getting our money's worth" from our Florida state park pass, we are okay with supporting Michigan's state park system by over-paying for our park entry.
Checking out the state park system when traveling is a great way to add some scenic stops into a trip. Whether it's to have a place for a picnic lunch, stretch your legs, exercise your kids, or just breathe in the great outdoors, see if there's a state park between you and your destination. Below are links to the state park systems for the states we'll be traveling through. Maybe they'll inspire you! And if you have visited any of the state parks in these states, let us know which one(s) you'd stop at again. If it's near enough to our route, we may just take a break and see it for ourselves!
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
~ Cindy D.
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