Washington has ended reciprocity with Oregon and other states when it comes to honoring winter recreation parking permits.
In other words, an Oregon Sno-Park permit bought to downhill ski at Mount Hood will no longer do double duty at the cross-country, snowshoe and snowmobile lots in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Washington has honored permits from other states since 1978.
Pamela McConkey, winter recreation program manager for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, said she and her counterparts in the neighboring states initially talked in 2010 how the programs differ and the reciprocity deal had run its course.
At the time, Gov. Chris Gregoire had a moratorium on non-essential regulation changes.
Oregon requires Sno-Park permits at alpine ski areas and the program is just snow removal.
Sno-Park permits are not required at Washington’s alpine ski areas, but pay for snow plowing, sanitation, law enforcement, education and some grooming at a large number of backcountry sites.
A Sno-Park permit in Washington costs $20 for a day or $40 for the season, which extends through April 30. The state parks agency administers the program in seven national forests in Washington, plus on blocks of state and private lands.
Sno-Park permits in Oregon cost $4 per day, $9 for three consecutive days and $25 for the season.
McConkey said Washington has no hard numbers regarding out-of-state purchases and the numbers would be hard to determine. An informal survey was scheduled a couple of years ago, then the weather turned warm and rainy and the sampling effort was cancelled.
The Oregon Department of Transportation website says Oregon will no longer honor Washington sno-park permits, but will honor those of California and Idaho.
“Vehicles registered in Washington will need to have a valid Oregon Sno-Park permit displayed on the vehicle when parking in an Oregon Sno-Park,” according to the site.
Failure to display the permit may result in a $30 fine.
In Southwest Washington, winter recreation parking lots are clumped in three general locations — Mount Adams, Wind River and Mount St. Helens — at the southern end of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
In the Mount Adams area north and west of Trout Lake are the Atkisson, Flattop, Pineside and SnowKing sno-parks. During low snow years, Pinchot road No. 82 some times is plowed to Smith Butte Sno-Park.
In the Wind River area, there are sno-parks at Government Mineral Springs, McClellan Meadows, Koshko and Lone Butte.
On the south side of Mount St. Helens, the Cougar Sno-Park is at the junction of Pinchot roads Nos. 81 and 83, while the large Marble Mountain Sno-Park is at the junction of roads No. 83 and 8312.
McConkey said she’s had a couple of complaints already about no reciprocity, but also support for the change.
“It’s been an interesting mix,” she said.
