It’s not hard to get into most California state parks. You just arrive, open up your wallet and fork out some cash. This generally ranges from $10 to $20 per car, depending on the park.

But what if you want to go without paying anything at all? Well, here’s a tip that most people don’t know: You can get a pass from your local public library that will get you into 200 participating state parks for free.

Seriously. Free. Anyone who has a public library card can get one.

There are only a limited number of these passes available at any one time, so you have to check them out as if they were books. Probably a good idea to call ahead and make sure they have one available.

This program is called, amazingly enough, the California State Library Parks Pass . What a surprise.

To use it, you’l

See Full Page