Free State Park Passes Now Available from Public Libraries in Santa Barbara County
The California State Library Parks Pass program, launched two weeks ago, is providing free vehicle day-use entry to California State Parks for library patrons.
More than 1,184 public libraries now hold park passes, which are available for checkout to any library card holder. Passes provide a free park entry for one passenger vehicle with up to nine people, or one highway-licensed motorcycle, at any of the 200 participating state parks.
The park pass program collaborated with the First Partner’s Office and the California State Library with goals to advance safe and equitable access to state parks and open spaces for all Californians.
“State parks are public spaces maintained and preserved for the public good,” said Molly Wetta, library services manager at the Santa Barbara Public Library. “Spending time in nature or the outdoors can improve health and wellness.”
Public libraries in Santa Barbara County (Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria branches) are currently holding passes that provide access to state park entry points, including the Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park, Gaviota State Park and state beaches along the county’s coastline.
Santa Barbara Public Library locations (Central Library, Eastside Library, Montecito Library and the Library on the Go outreach van) will have a total of 12 passes.
The park passes will join the Santa Barbara Public Library’s popular passes for MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Wetta predicts the new state park vehicle-entry passes will be equally attractive to library users.
“Many members of our local community are very interested in nature and outdoors — one of our most popular ongoing programs is our monthly Trail Talks, which feature local speakers on topics related to hiking, outdoor recreation and naturalist topics, so I do think these will be in demand,” she said.
Library card-holders can check out park passes through the same process as checking out a book or other physical item. There is currently a long waitlist with as many as 40 names, but when card-holders reach the front they will receive a text message or email notice that their pass is ready for pickup. Each pass can be held for seven days before being returned.
The park passes program is funded by the 2021-2022 State Budget, which included a $9.1 million one-time General Fund investment to launch a state parks pilot project to expand parks pass distribution, especially for youth in disadvantaged communities.
Officials say that removing the economic barrier of vehicle day-use fees will aid California in meeting goals of health, natural resource stewardship, and historical and cultural connections through an equity lens.
