With over 300 million people visiting US National Parks each year, the national park entrance passes are a popular purchase. On this site, we have put together a number of national park itineraries (including Yellowstone/Grand Teton, Acadia, and Zion National Parks). There are numerous national park entrance passes available at varying price points. Because of this, it’s important to understand the options available so that you don’t overpay. The following guide reviews the “America the Beautiful” series of national park pass options to analyze which (if any) may be appropriate for different visitors.
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Paid National Park Entrance Passes
Standard Annual Pass
The most common “America the Beautiful” interagency pass is the Annual Pass. This pass can be purchased by any US citizen age 16-61 or any international visitor. Like all passes in the “America the Beautiful” series, it provides entrance to parks run by the following agencies: US National Park Service, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureaus of Reclamation, and US Army Corps of Engineers.
At a price of $80, the annual pass provides purchasers access to the covered parks for a year. The year is measured as starting on the date of purchase and concludes the last day of the month that is 12 months after purchase. Therefore, if you purchase the pass on July 5th of 2023, the pass will be valid until July 31st of 2024.
The pass admits the pass holder and anyone else in their personal car when admission is charged per vehicle. The pass is valid for the pass holder and up to three additional adults (age 16+) when charged per person.
Senior Annual Pass
The next pass for consideration is the “America the Beautiful” Senior Annual Pass. This pass is very similar to the above Standard Annual Pass. However, this pass is available to those age 62 and above. The pass also comes at a discounted rate of $20 per year. The Senior Annual Pass has the same admission policy as the Standard Annual Pass.
Senior Lifetime Pass
Another pass available to seniors (age 62+) is the Senior Lifetime Pass. This pass is the same price as the Standard Annual Pass ($80), but it is valid for the lifetime of the holder. It has the same entry allowances (one vehicle or up to 4 adults) as all of the other passes. The main difference is that this pass doesn’t expire and is usable for the lifetime of the holder.
If you regularly visit national parks, this pass is for you. Alternately, if you think you will go to national parks in at least four different calendar years, you will come out ahead by purchasing a lifetime pass as opposed to multiple annual passes for each year of travel. This is likely one of the best values. It’s particularly a good value to provide admittance to younger members of the travel group. Younger travelers would otherwise pay $80 for an annual pass.
Free National Park Entrance Passes
The next group of passes to review are the free “America the Beautiful” passes. They are offered to various groups. If you are eligible for one of the free passes, make sure you take advantage of it.
Military Lifetime Pass
The Military Lifetime Pass is a free lifetime pass provided as a benefit to military veterans. The Military Lifetime Pass is also extended in appreciation to Gold Star family members. This pass has similar benefits for admission as all the above passes. To obtain the veteran’s version of this pass, a Department of Defense ID card, a Veterans Health ID card, a Veterans ID card, or a veterans designation on a state-issued driver’s license is required. This is available to anyone who served in the U.S. Armed Forces including National Guard and Reserves. The Military Lifetime Pass is also available to members of Gold Star Families. Gold Star Families are close relations to a member of the US Armed Forces who lost their life in the line of duty.
Military Annual Pass
Another military related pass is the Military Annual Pass. This 1-year pass provides the same admission privileges as all the other passes. These passes are available to current members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Space Force, and National Guard. The pass is also available to military academy cadets, active reservists, and dependents of current US military members.
Access Pass
The next free pass is the Access Pass. This free pass is available to those who have a documented permanent disability. This pass is valid for the lifetime of the holder. It provides the same access allowance as all the other passes above.
4th Grade Pass
Another free pass designed specifically for students is the 4th Grade Pass. As the name would imply, this pass is available to 4th grade students or the home-school equivalent. The pass is valid for the length of the 4th grade school year through the following summer (September to August) no matter when in the year it is obtained. Therefore, if you obtain the pass in September, it will be good for close to a year. However, if you get the pass in May, it will only be good for about 3 months. In order to obtain the pass, fourth graders need to have a voucher from the Every Kid Outdoors website completed.
Since 4th graders are always free when they come to a park, this pass really allows admission for the rest of the family (including the adults). Like all other passes, the admission policy with the pass is the pass owner and up to 3 adults or any people in a non-commercial vehicle.
Volunteer Pass
The final pass that is offered by the park service is a Volunteer Pass. Like the above free passes, there isn’t a fee to obtain this pass. However, it’s not truly free. This pass is offered to those between the ages of 16 and 62, who volunteer for at least 250 hours on federal recreation lands. The 250 hours don’t have to be all accrued in one calendar year, so volunteers can bank these over several years and redeem for a pass when they are above 250 hours.
However, all hours banked reset to zero when redeemed for a pass, and another 250 hours will have to be accrued to receive a pass in another calendar year. If you enjoy volunteering on federal land, this can be a great way to earn a park pass out of the service. However, if you are just volunteering to get entrance to the parks for a year, this seems like a poor investment of time since an annual pass can be bought for $80.
For those with the Volunteer Pass, it provides the same one vehicle or the pass holder + 3 adult admittance policy as all other “America the Beautiful” passes.
How to Purchase
The “America the Beautiful” passes can be purchased online through the website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) or they can be purchased at a majority of the federal recreation sites, including national parks. My recommendations for purchases are as follows:
- When purchasing a lifetime pass, I suggest using the USGS website which is very easy to navigate. The lifetime pass can be purchased anytime that you are eligible. Buying the pass ahead of your trip is my recommendation because there isn’t an expiration timeline based on when you purchased the lifetime pass. Additionally, buying the pass ahead of time gets one thing out of the way while your traveling.
- When purchasing an annual pass, check to see if the federal land that you are visiting sells the passes on site. If they do, then I would wait to purchase the pass until you arrive. This ensures that you have the maximum validity period for the pass. If your destination doesn’t sell passes onsite, look to see if there are other sites nearby that will sell them. If not, wait until close to your departure date to order the pass online. Obviously leave enough time for shipping.
Do You Need to Buy One of These Passes?
The final question you should ask is do you need to buy one of these passes. Obviously, if you are eligible for one of the free options, these are a no-brainer. Save yourself some money on those park entrance fees which often run about $35 per vehicle. Depending on the number of people in your group, the savings can be significant.
Likewise, if you are eligible for the Senior Lifetime Pass, it’s not difficult to get your money back on that purchase. The pass will have paid for itself on the third visit to a national park. Since it’s valid for the owner’s lifetime, I would purchase one unless you don’t like national parks.
The Standard Annual Pass is a less obvious good buy. To come out ahead, a group would need to visit at least three parks in a year. I am sure there are groups who will meet this number. For those groups, buy the annual pass. However, I will venture that most groups won’t visit three parks in a year. One or two park visits is more common. Therefore, it will most likely make sense for these groups to skip purchasing an annual pass and just pay for entrance at the gate of the park.
