Home ›

America the Beautiful Pass

Hello!
I'm new to this site and have to admit that this must be the best website i've seen yet. I have a question about the America the Beautiful Pass. My son and I are going for an 2 1/2 month trip around the U.S. I am going to purchase the America the Beautiful Pass. This will be a BIG help since we are going to about 40-50 National Parks. I just want to make sure that this pass does what it says it does. Does it get you into any National Park in the U.S. for free? Are there any National Parks that do not except it. This trip requires extensive planning so i want to make sure i have all areas covered. Thanks!

Park Pass: Does Senior Have to Drive?

Submitted by Anonymous on June 7, 2011 - 3:28pm.

I am taking my senior citizen mother on a tour of many National Parks this summer, and she is planning on purchasing the $10 park pass. Does she have to be driving in order to use the pass, or is it enough for her to be in the car and able to show her ID? I worry about her driving...

No worries. As long as she's

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on June 7, 2011 - 3:32pm.

No worries. As long as she's in the car you should be fine...

park pass

Submitted by Anonymous on April 19, 2011 - 9:00am.

This was the best purchase we ever made. We traveled across the US 2 years ago. I bought the pass after researching it and it paid for itself quickly. Glacier, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, etc. Example: if you stay in the campground at Yellowstone, and then go out the next day and want to visit the town and come back in, you will have to pay again. Get the pass, unless you are not going to more than one national park. It's 80$ per CARLOAD, not per person!

Park passes

Submitted by Anonymous on April 1, 2010 - 9:53am.

I'm a "gate" ranger who sells those passes. A pen that "sticks" works better than a marker. The pass is good at any national park, monument, etc. that requires an entrance fee. Doesn't work for campground fees or parking fees (like Mt. Rushmore has a parking fee, but no entrance fee). If you are going to more than 3-4 big parks it pays for itself. The senior pass is even better if you are 62 years or older, but remember a senior pass is good only for that senior and those in/on the vehicle with him/her - you can't give it to someone else - like a 25 year old [which happens]to use.

If you buy it other than at an entrance station, or a gate ranger forgets to have you sign it, it is a problem when you try to use it because we don't know if you've stolen it [that happens], or someone else has given it to you to use - it is strictly intended for the person who purchased it, and whomever is in/on his/her vehicle (or 4 people walking in). The money that is collected for these passes stays (or about 80%) with the park where it was purchased, to be used for that park's maintenance, infastructure, etc. so we always recommend you buy passes at one of the parks you are actually visiting. If you buy it online it goes to Washington. Hope that helps. Christina

Park passes

Submitted by Anonymous on August 18, 2010 - 4:10am.

I'm travelling from the UK and am trying to get as much as possible sorted before I leave. Is it better to buy the pass when I arrive at the first park? What is this about signing the pass? If I was to buy online, do I sign it before I leave?

You will have to sign the

Submitted by Ilex_Opaca on August 18, 2010 - 7:59am.

You will have to sign the pass as soon as you get it in the mail. It is not valid until it is signed. I will tell you that it is better for the park if you purchase the pass when you arrive at the first park. The park will then receive the majority of the $80. If you purchase online that $80 is shared among the 5,000+ federal areas that charge entrance fees.

They are available at all

Submitted by Anonymous on August 18, 2010 - 9:09am.

They are available at all parks that accept them?

They are, but some parks

Submitted by Ilex_Opaca on August 18, 2010 - 9:19am.

They are, but some parks can't do credit cards (most big parks can) so you may want to have the cash to pay for it.

I've bought a couple in the

Submitted by y_p_w on February 7, 2010 - 1:31pm.

I've bought a couple in the last few years. The first time I was actually planning on leaving for Yosemite in Dec 2005, right before the switch from the $50 National Parks Pass (or $65 Golden Eagle interagency pass) to the $80 America the Beautiful pass. Unfortunately I had to stay home due to illness and didn't make the trip until February. I think I got value out of that pass though, with at least 4 $20 admissions and other trips. And yes I did have to sign it.

The next time was at Crater Lake - and they did take my credit card. However - I wasn't asked to sign it, and I was asked to sign it with a permanent marker at the next stop where I used it. I heard a ranger at the Johnston Visitor Center at Mt Rainier complaining to a volunteer that NPS sites often didn't ask people to sign their passes.

I've had problems with mine. I put it in my pocket and got wet from the mist of a waterfall. The signatures actually rubbed off (looked kind of purple) and they were permanent markers too. The stuff they used to print the card numbers and bar code on the front/back also rubbed off. I didn't have any real problems - I was asked to sign it the next place I used it and nobody ever made a big deal about the numbers as long as the magnetic stripe could be read.

Bapyb: Just remember, the

Submitted by Rangertoo on January 18, 2009 - 8:58am.

Bapyb: Just remember, the majority of parks, about two-thirds, are free and you do not need a pass. Check where you plan to go and add up the fees to see if the pass is worth it. If you are going to the high cost parks: Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon, you will save money after only two parks. Also remember the pass does not cover other fees parks charge, like camping, cave tours, and the like.

A quick on-line search

Submitted by Jim Burnett on January 17, 2009 - 8:59pm.

A quick on-line search failed to find any mention of a deduction, and I'll go out on a limb, make an educated guess - and say no, the pass isn't tax deductible.

My reasoning is that when you purchase a pass, you are in effect pre-paying entrance fees for national parks and other covered sites, and I've never known those fees to be tax-deductible.

Perhaps some of the tax experts out there in cyberland will correct me if I'm wrong.

Even without a deduction, the money you'll save on the trip you describe will be substantial - and if you purchase it from a park, that area gets to keep and use most of the cost of the pass for some worthwhile projects. (You can also order the pass on-line or by phone if that's more convenient for you.) You'll find more details here.

Here are two tips:

First, if you plan to purchase the pass at the first park you visit, arrive prepared to pay for it in cash. Many federal recreation sites are not equipped to process credit cards or checks.

Second, when you get your pass, be sure you sign it right away on the space provided on the card - and have your driver's license or other photo ID handy when you present the pass at a park entrance. There have been some problems with people trying to "share" a pass, and fee collectors at the "gate" are supposed to check that the signature on the pass matches the ID of the person presenting it, to cut down on fraud. Technically, the pass may be be valid until it's signed by the purchaser.

Have a great trip - I'll try not to be too envious :-)

Re: "Technically, the pass

Submitted by US Park Ranger (not verified) on February 7, 2010 - 12:45pm.

Re: "Technically, the pass may be be valid until it's signed by the purchaser"

Not correct, they pass must be signed (one of the two spots to be used). If the pass is unsigned, than you will hvae to sign it when it is used (or it will bot be honored).

---
A U.S. Park Ranger

Is the America the beautiful

Submitted by Cindy (not verified) on January 17, 2009 - 8:20pm.

Is the America the beautiful park pass tax deductible?????

Sorry for the delay, Babyb,

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on January 6, 2009 - 8:20pm.

Sorry for the delay, Babyb, but the pass will indeed get you into all national parks, as well as Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management sites that charge entrance fees. Have a great trip!

Golden Age

Submitted by Anonymous on August 18, 2010 - 8:34am.

As a former park ranger at an urban site, we were instructed to be sure that the purchaser was a US citizen, produced a driver's license or acceptable documentation and sign the card in front of us, making sure that the signatures matched.
Now that I am retired and will be visiting some of our western parks again (after the summer crowds have dwindled, one of the luxuries of old age), I was under the impression that there may be other discounts, such as on campground fees, that card holders were entitled to? I don't have an excuse for not knowing other than that we have no camping/campground at Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Salem, MA.

US Permanent Residents are eligible too

Submitted by y_p_w on August 18, 2010 - 12:16pm.

I'm pretty sure that was the case with the older Golden Age pass, and is definitely true for the newer Senior Pass. I doubt anyone would go through an extensive background check though. My folks were just asked for a driver license for each one they got. It was also so cheap that it wasn't a big deal when one was misplaced.

http://store.usgs.gov/pass/senior.html

What is the Senior Pass?

An affordable lifetime Pass - available to U.S. Citizens and permanent residents who are 62 years and older - that provides access to recreation areas managed by five Federal agencies.

It also provides the pass owner a discount on some Expanded Amenity Fees such as camping (see Senior Pass Benefits section).

In general discounts are honored as follows:

  • Individual Campsites: The discount only applies to the fee for the campsite physically occupied by the pass owner, not to any additional campsite(s) occupied by members of the pass owner's party.
  • Campsites with Utility Hookups: If utility fees are charged separately, there is no discount. The discount may apply if the utility fee is combined (seamless) with the campsite fee.
  • Group Campsites and Facilities (including, but not limited to, group facilities, picnic areas or pavilions): There is no discount for group campsites and other group facilities that charge a flat fee. If the group campsite has a per person fee rate, only the pass owner receives a discount; others using the site pay the full fee.
  • Guided Tours: The pass offers discounts on some guided tours. Only the pass owner receives a discount if one is offered.
  • Transportation Systems: (Inquire Locally)
  • Concessionaire Fees: (Inquire Locally)
  • Special Use Permit Fees: (Inquire Locally)

There is a 50% discount on campground fees, amenities, and boat launches. I went with someone with a Golden Age pass who got a 50% discount off a cave tour. The campground discount holds as long as it's a federally owned campground; it can even be run by a concessionaire. I remember booking a campsite at Crater Lakes Mazama Campground (run by Xanterra). The reservation system had an option for getting a senior pass discount.

Regular card holder gets no additional discounts

Submitted by y_p_w on June 7, 2011 - 4:28pm.

The amenities discounts are only for senior and access (disabled) pass holders.

so does a regular card holder

Submitted by Anonymous on May 23, 2011 - 7:49pm.

so does a regular card holder get any camping discounts? or is that just for the senior pass?

YPW is right about the Senior

Submitted by Ilex_Opaca on August 18, 2010 - 1:32pm.

YPW is right about the Senior Pass. That is only available to US residents 62 or older. All one needs is a drivers license or gov't issued ID. The Access Pass gives the same discounts and that is available to US residents with a permanent disability and is free. The Annual Pass is only good for 12 months and is available to anyone with $80.

When it comes to discounts on campgrounds, not all federal sites do that. I know all NPS ones do, but the other federal lands may not. On the Senior Pass is states that additional discounts are only available where advertised.