How Much Is a Michigan State Park Pass for Non-Residents?

A Michigan state park pass for non-residents costs $42 for an annual Recreation Passport or $12 for a single day, and it covers motor vehicle entry to all 103 state parks and recreation areas. The pass also gets your vehicle into more than 140 state forest campgrounds, nearly 1,000 boating access sites, and the state’s trail network.¹

The passport pays for entry only. Camping, lodging, harbor reservations, and shelter rentals are billed separately.¹

Non-Resident Fees

If your vehicle is registered outside Michigan, these are the rates:

Annual pass: $42, valid through December 31 of the year you buy it.
Daily pass: $12, good for entry and re-entry to any state park that day.
Towed vehicle: $9, for a vehicle you unhitch from a stationary RV and drive around the park. The RV itself still needs its own annual non-resident passport.
Commercial daily pass: $22, for vehicles over 24,000 pounds or with seating for 16 or more people.

These are the current figures from the Michigan DNR fee schedule.¹ Non-residents don’t have the registration-linked discount Michigan drivers get at the Secretary of State, so the standalone rates apply.

Where to Buy It

You have several options:

At any Michigan state park or recreation area. Annual, daily, towed vehicle, and commercial passes are all sold on-site.
Online at MiDNRReservations.com/Store for the annual pass. Processing runs about 2 to 3 weeks, so this route only works if you’re planning well ahead.
At most DNR customer service centers for annual passes. Baraga and Bay City are exceptions. These offices take cash and checks only.
Through self-registration envelopes at fee pipes in many parks, boating access sites, and forest campgrounds. These accept annual, daily, and towed vehicle payments.
At self-serve kiosks in select parks including Belle Isle, Island Lake, Maybury, Saugatuck Dunes, and Tahquamenon Falls.¹

If you’re arriving soon, buy at the entrance station. It’s the fastest way, and daily passes are widely available on-site.

How to Display It and When It Expires

The annual sticker must be permanently affixed to your lower passenger-side windshield.¹ Park staff and DNR officers check that specific spot. A pass on the dashboard or in the glove box doesn’t count.

Annual non-resident passports expire December 31 of the year they were purchased, no matter when you bought them. A pass bought in October costs the same $42 as one bought in January but gives you only about three months of use, so if you’re visiting late in the year, the daily pass usually makes more sense unless you’ll be back several times. Daily passes are good for one calendar day of unlimited entry and re-entry.¹

When You Don’t Need a Pass

The Recreation Passport is a motor vehicle entry requirement. Walk into a state park, or ride in on a bicycle, and no pass is required.² If you’re staying at lodging near a park and hiking in on foot, you don’t need to buy anything.

Motorcycles do need the passport. Non-resident motorcycle riders pay the same rates and buy the same way as any other non-resident vehicle.¹

What Happens if You Skip It

Entering a state park in a motor vehicle without a valid Recreation Passport is a civil infraction under Michigan law, with a fine of up to $100. You won’t be cited if you can show the fee was already paid at the time of entry.³ The citation works like a traffic ticket, issued on the spot by a park ranger or DNR conservation officer.

One catch worth knowing: the pass isn’t transferable between vehicles. If you switch to a rental car partway through your trip, the sticker on your original vehicle doesn’t cover the rental. You’d need a daily pass for it.

1
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Recreation Passport
2
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Recreation Passport FAQs
3
Michigan Legislature. MCL 324-78119