Travelers on U.S. Highway 12 can enhance their visits to East Lewis County by participating in the White Pass Scenic Byway’s Discovery Passport Challenge, according to Marketing Director Mary Kay Nelson.
Participants in the challenge start their adventure by picking up a glossy brochure that provides information about local amenities and points of interest and provides space to collect stamps.
Stamps are available at locations including the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery, Salkum Timberland Library, DeGoede Bulb Farm & Gardens, Morton Depot and Visitor Center, BCJ Gallery, Cowlitz Valley Ranger Station, White Pass Country Museum, Destination Packwood, Kracker Barrel Store, White Pass Village Inn, Rimrock Grocery, Rimrock Lake Resort, Trout Lodge, Silver Beach Resort, Oak Creek Wildlife Area, LaKat Gallery, Naches Visitor Center and Naches Ranger Station.
A total of 20 stamps are available; 10 are required to complete the passport.
“The purpose of the Passport is to create an interactive visitor guide showing what there is to do and see along the 124 miles of the White Pass Byway,” Nelson said in a news release. “The goal is to cross promote each area and send folks along the entire route. The effort encourages visitors to stay longer and come again and again.”
Amber Malamphy, information receptionist at the Cowlitz Valley Ranger Station, said the station has seen a few Passport Challenge participants every week since the program began earlier this summer.
Visitors are a mix of families and individuals and most appear to be visiting from out of state, according to Malamphy.
Gail Cote, retail manager at the DeGoede Bulb Farm & Gardens in Mossyrock, said the establishment has a slow but steady influx of Passport stampers, though participation has declined slightly since earlier this spring.
Most of the participants are children, Cote said.
According to Nelson, the byway’s proximity to three of the Cascade Range’s most distinctive volcanic peaks — Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams — makes it a particularly attractive travel destination.
“From the agricultural plateau in rural Lewis County near Salkum, to the Lakes District and on to the Alpine Pass, the Byway covers several habitats and ecosystems eventually terminating in the arid steppe climate of Eastern Washington in Naches, near Yakima,” Nelson said in the release. “This year round route can be enjoyed in every season of the year.”
For more information, visit: www.whitepassbyway.com
