There are a bunch of different passes required to access public land for Summits on the Air - I currently have five and under some circumstances, I might need to acquire another. For example, the 35-year reciprocity between Oregon and Washington for Sno-Park permits ended in 2014 - if I do a winter activation in Washington I would need to get a $20 day pass or a $40 annual pass.
In the past month or so there have been descriptions from Activators of citations for lack of either the Northwest Forest Pass or the Washington "Discover" (sic) Pass. The basic fine for having a one-month expired Discover Pass at Beacon Rock was $99 - this amount can be reduced depending on your particular extenuating circumstances but is still quite a punishment for someone intending to do the right thing. It appears that to be an Activator acting in the spirit of SOTA one should keep a full quiver of up to date passes in the vehicle and display them as required.
One above all
I use only one pass. "America the beautiful" Nationwide accepted. Cost $80 and never seen a place where it was not accepted. This does not mean there is not one. However, having this card is not enough. You will be still charged to access many areas like: Climbing Adams, Rainier, many campsites in national parks. I did the math and for me this was the best.
America the Beautiful Federal Recreation Pass
Hi Péter -
Looks like the America the Beautiful Pass is a great one for all Federal recreation sites such as National Parks and BLM - there are a bunch of those sites in the Northwest and I have one of the passes myself. However, Oregon State Parks, Washington State Parks, Washington DNR Land and others would not recognize it. It also does not count as a Sno-Park to support snow removal at winter recreation sites.
Etienne-K7ATN