Check Out Wisconsin’s State Parks At Your Library

How do the passes work?

• Each week, a select number of passes will be available. 
• Stop by the display area near the adult reference to grab a card to checkout a pass.
• Bring the card up to the front desk.
• In order to take the pass, you must:
  • Have a library card in good standing
  • Have a WI license plate
  • Know the date of your visit. (The date of use must be written on the pass. We can write a range of 3 days if you know the approximate date).

Questions? Ask a staff person for more information. 

Passes our brought to you by Friends of the Whitefish Bay Public Library.
Support our Friends by becoming a member. 

Library Program Plans to Increase Park Access

 The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Whitefish Bay Public Library announced a library program to make state park and forest vehicle admission day passes available to library card holders at Whitefish Bay.

Starting on Monday, April 1, library card holders at over 200 libraries across Wisconsin can check out a day pass for free admission for one vehicle at any state park, forest, or recreation area where admission is required. 

“The DNR is continually looking for innovative opportunities to bring more people to state parks and forests, and to ensure everyone in Wisconsin has access to our incredible natural resources,” said Steve Schmelzer, Director of the DNR Bureau of Parks and Recreation. “By partnering with Wisconsin’s library system, we can reach households who may not be as familiar with the wide array of opportunities Wisconsin’s state parks and forests have to offer.”

The program, Check Out Wisconsin’s State Parks At Your Library, is a collaborative effort between the DNR, Wisconsin Library Association’s Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and the C.D. Besadny Conservation Fund from the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.

Along with the day pass, the cardholder will receive informational resources including state park system materials, a Wisconsin Explorer Activity Sheet, stickers, accessibility information and more. The goal of the program is to expand access to the Wisconsin state park system to new park visitors.