America The Beautiful pass — your ticket into America’s National Parks

Do you know all the options?

The America The Beautiful pass is our ticket to more than 2000 National Parks and Federal recreational lands. The pass grants entry for the driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle (or up to four adults at sites that charge per person). Children 15 and under are admitted free. Depending upon which statistic you lean on, Blacks specifically make up less than 5% of National Park visitors though this demographic makes up approximately 14% of the U.S. population. Representation matters so let’s learn about these pass options and increase visitorship in our parks. Here’s a breakdown of the pass options:

Annual Pass:

The Annual pass which is available to everyone costs $80 and is valid for one year from the date of purchase.

Lifetime Military Pass:

The Lifetime Pass is available for Military Veterans and Gold Star Families to access public lands. This pass provides free entrance to national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands. Each lifetime pass covers entrance fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle (or passholder and up to three adults at sites that charge per person) 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, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

4th Grade Pass:

The free 4th Grade pass is available for the duration of the 4th grader’s school year through the following summer (September-August). It’s available for U.S. 4th graders including home-schooled and free-choice learners 10 years old with a valid Every Kid Outdoors paper pass.

Senior Pass:

The Senior pass is available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents 62 and over. This pass costs $80 for a lifetime pass and $20 for an annual pass. If you obtain a Senior pass online or via mail there’s an additional $10 charge.

Access Pass:

The free lifetime Access pass is available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. If you obtain an Access pass via mail there’s an additional $10 charge.

Volunteer Pass:

The free annual Volunteer pass is available for volunteers with 250 service hours with federal agencies that participate in the Interagency Pass program.

For complete details on these passes visit the NPS website.