Yes. State Park Passes (ND State Library / ND Parks & Recreation Dept.) lets North Dakota library cardholders borrow a free state-park day-use pass. Verified against library.nd.gov, checked 2026-09-04.
| Program | State Park Passes (ND State Library / ND Parks & Recreation Dept.) |
|---|---|
| What it covers | Daily vehicle admittance to any North Dakota State Park, waiving the standard $5 daily entrance fee. Additional charges (camping, rentals) are not included. |
| How to borrow | Checked out at nearly 90 participating ND public libraries via the State Library's online catalog; checkout is 7 days and renewable; cardholders must be 18+ and in good standing with the library. |
| Day-use cost otherwise | $5/day standard vehicle entrance fee (waived by the pass). |
| Source | library.nd.gov · checked 2026-09-04 |
Official partnership between the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department and the North Dakota State Library, running since at least 2013.
State Park Passes (ND State Library / ND Parks & Recreation Dept.) puts the passes in circulation like any other library item: each participating North Dakota branch holds a limited number, checkouts are typically one per household, and holds are the difference between getting one and not — the shelf empties fastest ahead of summer weekends. The borrowed pass covers daily vehicle admittance to any North Dakota State Park, waiving the standard $5 daily entrance fee. Additional charges (camping, rentals) are not included.. Keep in mind the pass covers entry only; camping, cabins and boat launches carry separate fees.
Day-use entry in North Dakota runs about $5 per visit, so a family that day-trips five times over a season keeps roughly $25 by borrowing the pass instead of paying at the gate — and a twice-a-month hiking habit is $120 a year back in the budget. The pass costs exactly what the library card does: nothing.
North Dakota is one of 20 states in this situation. Traveling? California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida work the same way, each with its own program name and loan rules.
Yes — State Park Passes (ND State Library / ND Parks & Recreation Dept.) circulates day-use passes through public libraries. Checked out at nearly 90 participating ND public libraries via the State Library's online catalog; checkout is 7 days and renewable; cardholders must be 18+ and in good standing with the library.
$5/day standard vehicle entrance fee (waived by the pass).. Each borrowed-pass trip keeps that in your pocket.
No. What you borrow is a day-use entry pass; camping, cabins and boat launches always carry their own reservations and fees.