Each year with my state income tax I request a State Park Pass for the family. This presently costs $70.00, although I really don't have it to spend, I justify it with...what you never had you never lost.
The state of Maine has 32 State Parks. These Parks provide over 1400 jobs that are both full and part time. Almost 2/3's of the visitors to our State Parks are residents of Maine. A great many of the Parks offer a picnic area complete with bbq for a home-cooked meals on the go. I find that for the cost of gas and a bag of ice and a cooler filled with food from my cupboards, my family and I can enjoy some of Maine's most beautiful scenery!
The following has been copied from Maine.gov's website: a vehicle park pass allows all persons in a 1 ton/17 passenger vehicle to access day-use parks at no charge for the season; an individual park pass allows the pass holder "only" access to day-use parks at no charge for the season.
If you are a Maine resident and you are 65 years or older you get in for free! Not all Parks accept the Pass as a form of payment, the following do not: Baxter State Park, The Allagash Wilderness Waterway, The Penobscot River Corridor, The Penobscot Narrows Observatory, The Maine Wildlife Park, Peacock Beach or Scarborough Beach. The Pass does not allow for overnight stays, it is simply for a day trip.
