Fort Hunter Park
Dauphin County Parks and Recreation wants you to “Find Your Happy” in the great outdoors.
For those who need a little inspiration, or a new way to enjoy well-loved park locations, the department is offering the free Dauphin County Parks Passport program once again this year.
The self-guided online passport program was designed in 2023 to provide an interactive guide to county parks and attractions and to incorporate the outdoors into the technology that people use every day.
“We try to meet people where they are,” said Michelle McKeown, program and community manager for Dauphin County Parks and Recreation. “So many people are so tech-savvy, especially kids, so we’re thinking about how to make it cool to come to a park. It’s not just an informational site; it’s something fun for people to do.”
The passport features 10 locations, including Detweiler Park, the Fort Hunter Conservancy, Mansion and Park, Lykens Glen Park, Sassafras Island, the Henninger Covered Bridge, Wiconisco Creek Park, Wildwood Park and the Olewine Nature Center. Users earn points for visiting each location and can earn bonus points by attending special events at the parks throughout the year.
Using the passport does not require downloading an app; it is accessible through a simple web browser shortcut. Once users have registered for their passport, the site automatically records their visits to each location as long as their phone’s location services are turned on.
Users who visit all locations on the passport within a calendar year can earn a variety of prizes. The parks department also offers a separate free scavenger hunt program designed for kids called “Ready, Set, Explore!”
The passport was inspired by conversations at the county commissioner level, and Commissioner Mike Pries says he’s happy to see people engaging with the program.
“We’re excited about the success of the Parks Passport,” he said. “It encourages guests to get outdoors and explore our parks and boosts tourism in the region.”
User data confirms that Dauphin County parks aren’t just for locals. In 2024, the Parks Passport program saw more than 1,200 users from 14 states and territories.
Through the program, many users discover new locations that they didn’t realize were part of the Dauphin County parks system. Perhaps not surprisingly, the most visited locations are Fort Hunter and Wildwood Park, while the least visited is Sassafras Island, which is accessible only by watercraft, McKeown said.
Special offers from local shops and eateries are built into some passport locations, encouraging users to further explore the area through shopping or dining experiences when they are done at the park. These tie-ins highlight that outdoor recreation is an important, but often overlooked, driver of local economies, McKeown said.
Allison Rohrbaugh, director of communications and content at Visit Hershey & Harrisburg, agrees.
“Access to outdoor recreation often plays a large role in travel plans,” Rohrbaugh said. “Outdoor recreation is an important piece of an overall itinerary that will drive economic impact through hotel stays, meals and visits to other attractions across Dauphin County.”
Some trips can be done in a day, “but it’s more likely that the trip is built into an overnight itinerary where guests take advantage of other attractions or events in the region as well as local cuisine and shopping,” she said. “It’s exciting for us to be able to tell visitors that our region has a long list of outdoor experiences to explore.”
For more information about Dauphin County parks, including the Parks Passport and “Ready, Set” Explore!” follow the menus at www.dauphincounty.gov/government/support-services/parks-recreation.
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