Sea stacks and turquoise waters greet visitors on a hike near the Thunder Rock Cove pullout in the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor in the southern Oregon coast.
In the Pacific Northwest, all those Black Friday shopping nightmares might soon play second fiddle to a new post-Thanksgiving tradition: going outside.
According to The Oregonian, Northwest state parks will once again waive all day-use fees for the day after Thanksgiving this year, replacing the consumer-minded holiday with Green Friday in Oregon and Autumn Day in Washington.
In Oregon, the fee-free holiday applies to the 26 parks that usually charge a $5 parking fee. That includes popular park sites like Smith Rock, Silver Falls and Fort Stevens.
This year, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has also teamed up with Starbucks and Smith Teamaker to provide hot coffee and tea to Green Friday visitors at Tryon Creek, Fort Stevens, Rooster Rock, Silver Falls and Cape Blanco state parks.
Washington state parks are joining in for the first time this year, adding Black Friday to a list of about a dozen days each year that the park’s department waives day-use fees. The department usually requires the purchase of a Discover Pass for almost all state park sites – a cost of $10 for a day or $30 for an annual pass – but that fee is waived for occasions like Earth Day, Veterans Day and, now, Autumn Day.
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