I made a few more calls this morning and found out a little more about the process.

When you visit the website listed above you will eventually fill out a request for a visitor pass online. Range Control will then email you the approval or disapproval. You take the printed approval email, go to the main gate visitor center and get your vehicle pass as I mentioned above.

From there you'll go to Range Control to get the actual Visitor Pass that is good for one year. The email from Range Control works in lieu of a sponsor.

One thing I learned, that I think is screwed up, is that the pass from Range Control doesn't allow you to drive through mainpost to go fishing. Which means you can only access the river using something like the East Gate road off Hwy 507, and that kind of sucks if you're coming from Tacoma or Olympia. If you want to cut through mainpost you'd have to email Range Control again for another pass (which acts like a sponsor). Weird.

If anyone needs help with access drop me a note. I can meet someone and show them how to get to the river from post.