At some libraries. NH State Parks library pass runs in parts of New Hampshire — call your branch before you drive. Verified against library.warnernh.gov, checked 2026-09-04.
| Program | NH State Parks library pass |
|---|---|
| What it covers | Free admission for 2 adults and up to 4 dependents to most NH day-use state parks (normal cost ~$4/adult, $2/child; NH residents 65+ already free). NOT valid at Hampton Beach State Park, Wallis Sands, Flume Gorge, or Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway; does not cover camping or metered parking. |
| How to borrow | Distributed library-by-library (not a single centralized statewide catalog) — a patron picks up the physical pass at a participating public library (some require pickup no earlier than a few days before the visit), then makes an online day-use reservation at nhstateparks.org indicating they hold a library pass, which removes the admission fee (a $1 non-refundable online transaction fee still applies). |
| Day-use cost otherwise | Day-use fee normally about $4/adult, $2/child (varies by park; some parks add a separate reservation fee). |
| Source | library.warnernh.gov · checked 2026-09-04 |
NH's Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources (DNCR) oversees both State Parks and the State Library, which appears to enable coordination, but the program is not documented on the main NH State Parks 'Passes & Promotions' page and participation varies library to library (not all NH libraries offer it).
Because NH State Parks library pass runs through participating libraries rather than every New Hampshire branch, the first move is a call to your own library — if they hold passes, they check out like books, usually one per household with holds allowed. The borrowed pass covers free admission for 2 adults and up to 4 dependents to most NH day-use state parks (normal cost ~$4/adult, $2/child; NH residents 65+ already free). NOT valid at Hampton Beach State Park, Wallis Sands, Flume Gorge, or Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway; does not cover camping or metered parking.. The pass stops at the gate: camping, cabins and boat launches are their own bookings and fees.
Day-use entry in New Hampshire runs about $4 per visit, so a family that day-trips five times over a season keeps roughly $20 by borrowing the pass instead of paying at the gate — and a twice-a-month hiking habit is $96 a year back in the budget. The pass costs exactly what the library card does: nothing.
New Hampshire is one of 8 states in this situation. Traveling? Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Maine work the same way.
At participating libraries — NH State Parks library pass doesn't cover every system. Distributed library-by-library (not a single centralized statewide catalog) — a patron picks up the physical pass at a participating public library (some require pickup no earlier than a few days before the visit), then makes an online day-use reservation at nhstateparks.org indicating they hold a library pass, which removes the admission fee (a $1 non-refundable online transaction fee still applies).
Day-use fee normally about $4/adult, $2/child (varies by park; some parks add a separate reservation fee).. Every visit on a borrowed pass avoids exactly that charge.
No: the loan covers gate entry for the day. Overnight sites, cabins and boat launches are separate bookings with separate fees.