Hey, just FYI for my folks who are trying to visit national parks, especially now that we’re getting into the off season, there are a LOT of passes available to help maybe get you and people with you into parks cheaper than the default entry fees:
America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass
The white bread cold cut sandwich of interagency passes
Strongly recommend you buy it in the first days of a month, because we can only mark it for a month, so if you buy it September 1st, and we punch it for September, it’ll be good until September 30th of the next year.
Anyone can buy it, 2 people can sign and use it
$80, generally you start saving money after three national park visits
America the Beautiful Senior Passes
Available as an annual pass for 20$, or a lifetime pass for 80$
May confer a 50% reduction in federal amenity prices in some parks (ie camping, boat launching, paid educational programing)
US citizens and residents only for some reason
America the Beautiful 4th Grade Pass
Extremely cool program where fourth graders get into the park for free
Print a voucher, and you exchange it for a pass
Good from September 1st on the year the student enters 4th grade, to August 31st before they start 5th.
Kids already get into parks for free, but this gets the hole family in
Get the pass at https://www.everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm
active duty only, no I can’t issue one for veterans, yes even if you ask multiple times and yell at me
no they won’t issue a veteran one anywhere else either
no i don’t care that your friend said there was a veterans pass, there isn’t. no i don’t want to talk to him. sir put down your phone.
And now the Big One that is the reason I’m making this post:
America the Beautiful Access Pass
Lifetime pass for any US citizen or permanent resident who has any permanent disability
May confer a 50% reduction in federal amenity prices in some parks (ie camping, boat launching, paid educational programing)
You may need documentation proving that disability, but the parameters are very open. Documentation includes:
A Statement by a licensed physician that says the words ‘permanent disability’
A document issued by a Federal agency such as the Veteran’s Administration, Social Security Disability Income or Supplemental Security Income
A document issued by a State agency such as a vocational rehabilitation agency
Sometimes though you don’t even need that because a lot of parks have you sign an affidavit because most rangers don’t know how to make heads or tails of any of that stuff, and it can’t be verified at all by us. In the case of the affidavit you either read, or otherwise have made available to you a statement, you read it, and if it applies to you, you sign it.
So, you may be wondering, what counts as a permanent disability? Well:
A permanent disability is a permanent physical, mental, or sensory impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
The rules for what constitutes a disability are deliberately broad, and intended to ensure that people with a wide variation in ability are ensured free access to Parks.
No one knows about this program but it’s one of the few things that make me very happy about the US government.
Please take advantage of it.
Parks passes are good for the pass holder and everyone in a private vehicle with them at parks that charge per vehicle, whether it’s a little two seat sports car, or a packed RV. In parks that charge by the person, a pass is good for the pass-holder and three other adults. Kids under 16 get in free.
Passes are non-transferable. Your pass is yours only, and you must be present for it to be used (but you don’t need to be driving).
These passes are good for all federal recreation fee areas. That means National Parks, day use 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.
Passes can’t be replaced if lost. You’ll either have to re-purchase, or reapply for the pass. For the free passes that’s pretty easy, for the paid ones you’ll be out the cash.
They don’t work at Mount Rushmore.
