2012-02-15 Run-in with a Ranger at Beacon Rock State Park

[Crusak]

Did you get her name? I would file a complaint if I were you. Sounds like she very clearly stepped outside her authority & needs either better training or an attitude adjustment. You were operating well within what the rules allow, I think. It's none of her business how you arrived at the trailhead lol.

[Stevefromdodge]

Are the trailhead Discover Pass stations similar to the Forest Pass ones?

ie You fill out an envelope and deposit the money, putting a ticket stub on your car?

[Guy]

So I called up the Park HQ today & spoke to a Ranger.

I asked if a permit was required to hike the Beacon Rock State park trails if I arrive on foot.

Her first answer was "Yes, you need a permit to hike the trails".

When I pointed out that this was clearly at odds with what is posted on the Discover Pass Web Site she elaborated, her argument went something like this:

If you drive to the park but then park just outside it & walk in you have still driven to the park & have to buy a permit!

While it's true that by parking outside the park you are circumventing the rules it's also true that the ranger's reasoning may not be within the law either! Personally I don't think it is but if I was ticketed I'd have to spend the time to show up in court to argue my case!

My follow up question was so if a cycle down from Cascade Locks do I have to buy a permit? then she said: No because I had not arrived by car.

So I then asked that it follows there must be some distance away by which I could arrive by foot & not be ticketed but then she just returned to Answer #1 ..

It would be interesting to know if Peder had stood his ground if she would have actually gone ahead & ticketed him, but like Peder I'm not willing to be a test case either!

While I did have some sympathy for her, she seemed to be very frustrated by the whole Parks Funding Permit deal I'm still not willing to pay $10.00 a hike or $30.00 a year.

It would a appear that the best way to avoid a confrontation & questioning is to arrive by bike or say you hitchhiked there ...

[TJ_T]

'What if I drove to the park, but left my car running in neutral while I hiked?'
'What if I drive to Cascade Locks and then biked to the park after that?'
'How do you feel about segwey's?'
'What if I arrive by motorized wheelchair?'

[Grannyhiker]

Sounds like we need to get WTA in on this for some publicity (Ryan?). In the meantime, I suggest Peder post this on nwhikers.net (Seattle hiking forum). It might also be a good idea to contact the WA State Parks head office in Olympia.

I will find out this weekend what the latest situation is at Westport Lighthouse State Park. Just outside the rather small state park parking area is an enormous parking area owned by the city of Westport. Last time I was there everybody was parked in the city parking. I very much doubt that the city will allow the state to ticket folks there, unless, of course, it somehow increases the city income. Of course there are hundreds of other places not on state park land to access the beach, which runs all the way from the Westport jetty at the mouth of the Chehalis River to Washaway Beach just north of Willapa Bay. They can't stop people from hiking (or driving, unfortunately) onto the state park sections of the beach from elsewhere.

As an Oregon resident, I don't feel obligated to pay for Washington state's budget problems (we have plenty of our own down here!). I therefore will not buy a Discover Pass and will not hike in Washington outside of National Forest land. There are plenty of wonderful places in Oregon to hike! If I lived in Washington, I'd feel differently and would buy the pass.

[Bones]

If you park outside of the State Parks jurisdiction there is nothing the Ranger could do. As long as you are parking in a legal area outside the boundaries you should be golden.

Perhaps carrying a print out of the Discover Pass description would be a good idea to silence the Rangers.

[Lurch]

I didn't know about this "discovery pass" prior to this thread, so I did me some reading!

Considering the pass is tied to the vehicle not the individual operating it, it would be difficult to cite someone without a vehicle being present... since that is the sole criteria for an infraction.

RCW 79A.80.020 - Discover pass

(1) A discover pass is required for any motor vehicle to park or operate on any recreation site or lands, except for short-term parking as may be authorized under RCW 79A.80.070.

[blah blah blah I'll skip a bit here... ]

(8) A complimentary discover pass must be provided to a volunteer who performed twenty-four hours of service on agency-sanctioned volunteer projects in a year. The agency must provide vouchers to volunteers identifying the number of volunteer hours they have provided for each project. The vouchers may be brought to an agency to be redeemed for a discover pass.

RCW 79A.80.080 - Pass/permit requirements — Penalty

(1) The discover pass, the vehicle access pass, or the day-use permit must be visibly displayed in the front windshield of any motor vehicle:

(a) Operating on a recreation site or lands; or

(b) Parking at a recreation site or lands.

(2) The discover pass, the vehicle access pass, or the day-use permit is not required on private lands, state-owned aquatic lands other than water access areas, or at agency offices, hatcheries, or other facilities where public business is conducted.

(3)(a) The discover pass, the vehicle access pass, or the day-use permit is not required for persons who use, possess, or enter lands owned or managed by the agencies for purposes consistent with a written authorization from the agency, including but not limited to leases, contracts, and easements.

(b) The discover pass or the day-use permit is not required on department of fish and wildlife lands for persons possessing a current vehicle access pass pursuant to RCW 79A.80.040.

(4) Failure to comply with subsection (1) of this section is a natural resource infraction under chapter 7.84 RCW. An agency is authorized to issue a notice of infraction to any person who fails to comply with subsection (1)(a) of this section or to any motor vehicle that fails to comply with subsection (1)(b) of this section.

(5) The penalty for failure to comply with the requirements of this section is ninety-nine dollars. This penalty is reduced to fifty-nine dollars if an individual provides proof of purchase of the discover pass to the court within fifteen days after the issuance of the notice of violation.

I'm no pro on washington state law, but I would say there are a couple caveats that they may be able to catch you on.

1. It doesn't seem clear what they mean by operating on, while you can park in the short term parking for 30 minutes, you still need to operate your vehicle in their precious parking lot in order to get to that parking spot. So I guess technically you'd be in violation..

2. It does state any recreational site or land. Parking outside the parking lot, but still in the state park would be considered a violation. If you legally parked just outside the park border and walked in, I can't see how they would possibly have a case. It's no different than having someone drop you off and pick you up, and to require them to have a permit is ridiculous.

[Grannyhiker]

Would "lands" include the nearby state highway?

[arundodonax]

:

[Koda]

Q. Do I need a Discover Pass if I access state recreation lands by foot, horse, bicycle, boat, skateboard, etc.?
A. No. The Discover Pass is a motor vehicle permit and is only required for street-legal motor vehicles to access state-managed recreation lands. It is not required for access using other forms of transportation, such as bicycles, boats, horses or on foot. However, if motor vehicles are used to transport or tow boats, bicycles, horses, etc., the motor vehicle must display the pass. Boaters will still need to pay any moorage and boat pumping fees.

http://discoverpass.wa.gov/faq/#what

Seems to me if you park far enough outside of state land boundary requiring more than one step/stride you are accessing the land by foot. One could argue the definition of the word 'access' for both sides of the fence though. That said, I would think of the state land boundary now as a/the trailhead if you want to hike sans Discover Pass. Per above, the Discover Pass is for the vehicle only not the person and is clearly spelled out that way. If you park outside of the land boundary, your vehicle did not access the state managed land.