As baby boomer travelers, some of our very favorite travel experiences have been found in our nation’s many national parks.

In fact, we know of no greater place to experience the beauty of God’s creation than the quiet and solitude that can be found in one of our national parks.

As frequent visitors to our national parks, we have found that a purchase of the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass offers us significant savings on entrance fees.

A pass is your ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. Each pass covers entrance fees at national parks and national wildlife refuges as well as standard amenity fees at national forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.

A pass covers entrance and standard amenity fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas (or up to four adults at sites that charge per person). Children age 15 or under are admitted free.

America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Pass

Five passes make up the series:

Annual National Parks Pass

• $80 annual pass
• Available to everyone.
• Can be obtained in person at a federal recreation site, or by calling 1-888-ASK USGS (1-888-275-8747), Ext. 1, or online. Buy Now
• Non-transferable.

FREE Annual National Parks Pass for Military

• Available to U.S. military members and dependents in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard and also, Reserve and National Guard members.
• Must be obtained in person at a Federal recreation site by showing a Common Access Card (CAC) or Military ID (Form 1173).

Senior Annual National Parks Pass

• $10 Lifetime pass
• For U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over.
• May be obtained in person at a federal recreation site or through the mail using this application form. The cost of obtaining a Senior Pass through the mail is twenty dollars ($20). Ten ($10) for the Senior Pass and ten ($10) for processing the application. Applicants must provide documentation of age and residency or citizenship.
• May provide a 50 percent discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch, and specialized interpretive services.
• Generally does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessioners.

FREE Access Annual National Parks Pass

• Free
• For U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities.
• May be obtained in person at a federal recreation site or through the mail using this application form. The cost of obtaining an Access Pass through the mail is ten dollars ($10) for processing the application (the Pass is free). Applicants must provide documentation of permanent disability and residency or citizenship.
• May provide a 50 percent discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and specialized interpretive services.
• Generally does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessioners.

Volunteer Annual National Parks Pass

• Free
• For volunteers with 250 service hours with federal agencies that participate in the Interagency Pass Program.
• Contact your local federal recreation site for more information about volunteer opportunities or visit Volunteer.gov.

The five agencies that participate in the Interagency Pass Program are:

• National Park Service
• U.S. Forest Service
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Bureau of Land Management
• Bureau of Reclamation

Come on.  Life’s a Trip.  Grab your America the Beautiful Annual Parks Pass and let’s go have some fun!

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