Your library card does more than you think. Middlesex County Library has park passes available to borrow at no cost, and if you haven’t heard about this yet, it’s worth knowing before the summer slips away.
According to the library’s website, Ontario Parks Day Use Vehicle Passes are available at all fifteen Middlesex County Library branches on a first-come, first-served basis. The passes were moved into a “Quick Picks” collection for 2026, which means you can no longer place a hold on them. You just show up, check availability, and grab one if it’s there.
Passes can be borrowed for seven days and are available to anyone with a valid Middlesex County Library card. You can only have one pass of each type checked out at a time, and the physical pass must be displayed in your vehicle at the park.
A few things to know before you go: Ontario Parks recommends advance registration for day-use visits at certain parks, including Pinery, Long Point, and Algonquin. If you’re heading to one of those, you can still use a borrowed pass. When booking online, enter the serial number from the pass when prompted. The library won’t give out serial numbers before checkout, so you need the pass in hand first.
Beyond Ontario Parks, a handful of branches also carry passes for the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and the Lower Thames Conservation Authority. The LTVCA pass, available at the Delaware, Glencoe, Melbourne, Mt Brydges, and Wardsville branches, covers day-use access to all public LTVCA conservation areas, including Longwoods Road/Ska-Nah-Doht Village and Museum, C.M. Wilson, and Sharon Creek.
Community pool passes for Lucan, Dorchester, and Strathroy are also available at select branches. Pool passes have a shorter loan window at three days.
You can check real-time pass availability through the Middlesex County Library’s online catalogue, or just call your nearest branch directly. All passes must be picked up from and returned to the branch that owns them, so keep that in mind when you’re planning.
Worth checking availability sooner rather than later if you’ve got a long weekend coming up. These go fast.