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Military Discounts to Use When Visiting State Parks

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When most of us think about the great outdoors, we immediately think of camping, hiking, hunting and maybe even whitewater rafting.

One of the best places to do all of these great outdoorsy things is at national parks, but what if you don’t want to trek all the way to a national park? While places like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone are worth the hike, chances are you don’t have to take a road trip to explore all of the wonders that mother nature has to offer.

Your next great camping trip might just be up the road at any one of the more than 10,000 state parks.

Every state in the union, from Florida to Alaska and Maine to Hawaii has their fair share of gorgeous state parks. Encompassing more than 18 million acres, state parks have something to offer everyone. Whether you’re a ski fanatic, a hobby fisherman or just want to find a quiet place to commune with nature, chances there’s a state park that offers the perfect day off.

And many state parks offer military and veteran discounts.

Most state parks offer day and annual passes, as well as licenses for fishing, hunting and boating. Some require special passes depending on the activities you plan on engaging in at the park (i.e., primitive camping or RV stays).

And almost every park we researched offered a free annual pass for wounded warrior residents of the state, though the percentage of disability required for the annual pass varied by state.

Military Discounts to Use When Visiting State Parks

Did you know that West Virginia state parks offer a 10% military discount? Plan your next hiking adventure at Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.

For the rest of us, active duty and veterans, the military discounts vary by state and often are offered at each individual park and for limited time periods or only to residents of that state. When in doubt, contact the individual park.

Here are 4 states we found that offer discounts at their state parks:

Georgia State Parks

Georgia offers dozens of state parks, including Fort Yargo, with its 260-acre lake, multiple RV sites and even lakefront yurts for a little weekend glamping. Active duty and retired military — who are Georgia residents — are entitled to a 25% discount on the daily or annual parks pass. A current military or retiree ID must be shown at time of purchase.

Florida State Parks

With over 150 state parks to choose from, if you crave the sun, you’ll find it here. Florida’s state parks include miles of beaches and all kinds of interesting trails including the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad trail, with options for hiking, biking and even horseback riding. Active duty military, National Guard and reservists and retirees can received a 25% discount on all Florida state park entrance fees.

However the passes cannot be purchased online.

Maryland State Parks

Maryland culture has long revolved around the water. Dozens of Maryland state parks offer the chance to experience a landscape rich with marine wildlife and ocean views, including Janes Island State Park where visitors can fish and crab to their heart’s content. With a valid military ID all Maryland state park daily fees are waived. Find out more about this park and many others at Maryland.gov.

West Virginia State Parks

With over 50 state parks, West Virginia is a camping and hunting enthusiast paradise. Included in its many offerings is Seneca State Forest, home to rivers, lakes, miles of trails and its famous 65-foot fire tower that offers an incredible bird’s-eye view of the lush forest and woodland.

Best of all, all West Virginia state parks and services offer active duty and veteran personnel a 10% discount.

Looking for another state or a specific state park? Find links to it all by visiting www.stateparks.org.

Have you sign up for Military Shoppers Travel and Rewards community? It’s a free way to save money on your next family vacation.

5 Simple Recipes for Your Summer Camping Trip

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My husband and I love to camp. The smell of wood burning, sound of birds chirping and the most exciting part, the taste of campfire food!

5 Simple Recipes for Your Summer Camping Trip

What do you like to cook when camping?

As soon as the weather warms up, we plan at least one trip out to the woods a year. It’s also a great way to explore the area around your duty station!

ReserveAmerica is a great site to find the local campsites in your area. Most (all of the campsites I’ve visited), use that website to place reservations of the actual campsites too (I’ve camped in New York, Texas and Virginia).

I grew up a city gal and the closest thing to camping I’ve ever experienced was a tent in my backyard. We even brought out an extension cord to watch TV, which is completely cheating!

Now, I’ve found that the great outdoors is a great way for my husband and I to disconnect and enjoy each other’s company, uninterrupted by technology. For the duration of our time in the woods, we cook and prepare meals on the open fire. We wrangle together our mess kit, which includes a couple of travel pots, pans, dinnerware and utensils–as well as our camping gear for a fun and delicious camping adventure.

At first, cooking real food might be a little intimidating. But, with the right preparation beforehand, it can be easy to throw together hot and tasty meals for your family. For example, combine all dry ingredients and spices per recipe in a Ziploc bag. Also, chop and mince all appropriate veggies (like onions) and place them in Ziploc bags as well.

5 Simple Recipes for Your Summer Camping Trip

Cooking food when camping might be a little intimidating. But, with the right preparation beforehand, it can be easy to throw together hot and tasty meals for your family.

Here are my 5 absolute favorite and simple campfire recipes.

You can’t go wrong with chili! It’s great by itself or you can pour it on top of a hot dog that’s heated by the fire.

Black Bean Chili

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lb ground turkey (I use beef)
  • 3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, undrained
  • 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; cook onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Add turkey and cook, stirring, until meat is brown. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, basil and vinegar. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 60 minutes or more, until flavors are well blended.

To adjust the heat, I use oven mitts to move the grill gate close to or away from the fire. That’s the easiest way for me to manipulate the temperature.  Or, you can scooch the pot away from the direct flame. It really depends on the type of grill your campsite provides. We typically bring another grill plate with handles, so it’s easy to lift the cooked food off the camp grill.

Grilling Potato Wedges

  • 3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch thick wedges
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of ancho or regular chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix together the dry ingredients. Then, brush the potatoes all over with olive oil and place over the hot side of the grill and cook until browned and crisp on both sides. Move the potatoes to the cooler side of the grill, cover and continue to grill until cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes longer (test with a fork). Remove the potatoes from the grill to a large bowl and sprinkle with the spice mixture to taste and toss to coat.

BBQ Chicken Kabobs

  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 6 cups assorted cut-up vegetables (bell peppers, mushrooms, onions and zucchini)
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce

To prep at home, arrange chicken and vegetables alternately on 8 skewers. On the hot grill, place the kabobs to cook 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (170°F), turning after 8 minutes and brushing frequently with the 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce. Use the leftover barbecue sauce to serve.

Juicy Ranch Burgers

All you need is about a pound of ground beef and 1 or 2 packets of ranch seasoning mix (depending on your taste) to make this recipe. Before you leave, mix together the ranch seasoning and beef. Then, separate the beef into 4 patties and now it’s ready for the fire.

I also use onion soup mix as another flavor variety.

My favorite campfire recipe is PIZZA!

Yes, it’s pretty simple to make on the open fire. I grab a roll of refrigerated pizza dough (or you can make your own) and roll it out onto a cast iron grill or our removable camping grill (so it’s easy to take off the fire), but you put it directly on the grill rack if the dough is thick enough. Make sure the grill is hot before putting the dough on it though.

Pour on about ¼ cup of tomato sauce, as much mozzarella cheese you think is necessary and then your favorite pizza toppings. Cook until dough is done and cheese is melted through.

Don’t forget to include snacks to munch on while hiking. Piece together the perfect trail mix recipe or try out my favorite granola bar recipe too!

What’s your favorite food to make when camping? Share the recipe with MilitaryShoppers and you could win. One winner every month.