Pilot program offers free state parks day-use passes for eligible Vermonters
May 15, 2025 | By Waterbury Roundabout
Vermont Parks Forever, the only nonprofit foundation for Vermont’s 55 state parks, recently announced a first-in-the-nation, privately funded pilot program to provide free day-use entry to Vermont State Parks for more than 100,000 income-eligible Vermonters this year.
The organization is working with Vermont State Parks, the Vermont Department for Children and Families’ Economic Services Division, and the Department of Health’s WIC Program to manage the program.
The initiative starts this month and will run through October, and will be available to families and individuals receiving services through the Economic Services Division and WIC.
The program expands on Vermont Parks Forever’s Park Access Fund, which has been used to expand equitable access to state parks since 2016.
“Vermont’s state parks are for everyone. This pilot program will strengthen our communities and make it easier for more Vermonters to enjoy the outdoors,” said Sarah Alberghini Winters, executive director of Vermont Parks Forever. “We all benefit from time spent in Vermont's beautiful state parks!”
Vermont individuals and families enrolled in Reach Up, 3SquaresVT, Fuel Assistance, General Assistance, Essential Person Program, Summer EBT, and WIC are eligible for free day-use entry to Vermont State Parks in 2025 under this program.
For more on how it works, visit online at: vermontparksforever.org/paf-pilot.
Vermont Parks Forever extends a special thank you to Scott Brown of Hanover, New Hampshire, for shepherding this idea, leading donors to the program, including the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation, the Jim and Judy Brown Family Growth Fund, and an anonymous donor through the Vermont Community Foundation.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the program can do so online at vermontparksforever.org/give-park-access.
Vermont Parks Forever was founded in 2013 as a nonprofit foundation to enhance and protect Vermont’s state parks by inspiring stewardship of natural places, providing educational experiences, and improving access for those who would otherwise be unable to experience Vermont’s state parks.
More information is online at: vermontparksforever.org.