In the Pacific Northwest, all those Black Friday shopping nightmares might soon play second fiddle to a new post-Thanksgiving tradition: going outside.

Northwest state parks will once again waive all day-use fees for the day after Thanksgiving this year, replacing the consumer-minded holiday with Green Friday in Oregon and Autumn Day in Washington.

In Oregon, the fee-free holiday applies to the 26 parks that usually charge a $5 parking fee. That includes popular park sites like Smith Rock, Silver Falls and Fort Stevens.

This year, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has also teamed up with Starbucks and Smith Teamaker to provide hot coffee and tea to Green Friday visitors at Tryon Creek, Fort Stevens, Rooster Rock, Silver Falls and Cape Blanco state parks.

Washington state parks are joining in for the first time this year, adding Black Friday to a list of about a dozen days each year that the parks department waives day-use fees. The department usually requires the purchase of a Discover Pass for almost all state park sites - a cost of $10 for a day or $30 for an annual pass - but that fee is waived for occasions like Earth Day, Veterans Day and, now, Autumn Day.

The trend started in 2015 in the Pacific Northwest, when outdoor retailer REI decided to close its stores for Black Friday, encouraging people to enjoy the outdoors instead of shopping. That announcement inspired the Oregon parks department to follow suit, and waive all parking fees for the day. The event has since become an annual tradition, and has grown this year with Washington state parks jumping on the bandwagon.

"We really like the way it's turned out," Oregon parks spokesman Chris Havel said. "Coming out to a park is a good reason to refresh yourself, and remind yourself why you live where you do."

Havel said the department doesn't keep daily numbers on park attendance, but anecdotally he's heard that state parks near populated areas - like those in the Willamette Valley - do see a spike in visitors for Green Friday.

The parks department doesn't promote the fee-free day to fill campgrounds or sell more annual passes, he said, but rather to encourage people to choose a healthy activity during the often-stressful holiday weekend.

"It seems like there's always something building, always something to do, always a pressure on us," Havel said. "And then you take a minute with your family or with yourself [in a park] ... you just, without realizing it, release some of that pressure."

You can see maps and full lists of state parks on department websites for both Oregon and Washington.

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB