DYK You Can WALK Into Any Michigan State Park for Free?

Every year when you renew your drivers license you face a choice: Do I, or don't I, buy a Michigan Recreational Pass? The price was raised by a dollar this year, making the cost of a car pass $13 and a motorcycle / scooter $7. Weigh that against the daily state park fee of $11 and you can see what a bargain the Michigan Recreational Pass is.

Why Buy a Michigan Recreation Pass? Why Not!

Michigan has 103 state parks and recreational areas across both peninsulas. Explore just two of these parks in the same year and you've almost doubled your return on investment. The little 'P' you get on your license plate once you've purchased a Michigan Recreation Pass is like an all access pass that gets you waved through the line. It will give you that VIP feeling every time you pull into a Michigan State Park.

So why don't people more people purchase this little sticker? An educated guess, without any scientific backing whatsoever by this writer would be: It's being sold in the worst possible environment.

The Michigan Secretary of State Office aka Hell's Waiting Room

Have you ever walked out of the Secretary of State's office and thought to yourself, "Well that was a pleasant way to spend 2 hours of my life, I think I'll do it again tomorrow!"? If you have seek help...seriously.

I have decided that a pack of feral children live at every Secretary of State branch in Michigan. Enter one, then go wait in line for your ticket number so that you can be added to the gameshow "who's next" TV displays, and then you go sit down in the chair that looks the least sticky. It's then that a toddler will come, seemingly out of nowhere, and begin running around in front of you. You'll scan the area looking for a parent that this child may belong to but no one is claiming them. The child seems well-fed and happy, so maybe they are running an orphanage in the back of the SOS.

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Back to why they aren't selling more Recreation Passes. You can't sell anything to anyone who has waited any amount of time at the Secretary of State office. All we want to do is leave. The poor people at the SOS know you've had your limit of feral children and interesting odors but, they are still going to ask you if you want the pass. Say yes.

And if you don't want to buy a pass? No worries! You can walk into any Michigan State Park for free. Only vehicles are charged for entry, so park outside the park, get your steps in, walk right in, and take in Michigan's splendor.