Hello fellow travel lover! Today I wanted to chat about something that you may see me bring up from time to time in the future- The National Park Service Annual Pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I realize that this may be something that many people have never heard of, or have questions about, or want to hear about from someone who has purchased one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this post, I will try to answer any questions I think you may have about the pass, and hopefully I can help you decide whether this is something that would be beneficial to you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t
This is a pass sold by the National Park Service that covers entrance fees into National Parks, as well as some other sites run by the NPS. So once you purchase the pass, you are able to provide it at any national park entrance and enter for free.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This pass mainly helps with entrance fees, so let\u2019s use Yosemite National Park as an example. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At this national park, there is an entrance fee of $35 per vehicle. If you have the annual pass, you simply provide the pass at the park entrance, and you don\u2019t have to pay the $35 entrance fee.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This pass does not really help for parks that do not have entrance fees. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, my husband and I recently went to Mammoth Cave National Park. This park does not have an entrance fee. Instead, you enter free but are required to purchase tickets for tours, which is not something the annual pass covers. So in this situation, our Annual Pass didn\u2019t really come in handy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what the national park annual pass covers, according to the NPS website:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If this is at a location that charges per vehicle, the driver and all passengers of the vehicle are covered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If this is at a location that charges per person, up to 4 adults are covered. (Kids under 15 are allowed to enter for free)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pass typically won\u2019t cover special fees such as camping, boat fees, etc.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Annual Pass is currently $80. This is a yearly fee, but does not automatically renew. This means that once your pass expires (12 months after purchase date), you will have to purchase a new one, rather than one being automatically sent to you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are other types of passes available at different price points that certain people may qualify for, which we will talk about in a bit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In most cases, no. If you and your family can all fit in one vehicle, you should only need one pass, as this will cover your entire vehicle at \u2018pay per vehicle\u2019 locations, and cover up to 4 adults(16 or older) at \u2018pay per person\u2019 locations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a very large family and will be traveling in multiple vehicles to a park with an entrance fee, multiple passes might be a good idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also list up to two people as \u2018pass holders\u2019 directly onto the card. So for example, you and your spouse can both list your names on the pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned above, there are a few other types of passes offered by the NPS that you might qualify for. Here are the basics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are needing a pass in less than 10 days, or are wanting to purchase one in person, you can do so by visiting one of hundreds of federal recreation sites in the country. Here is a\u00a0list of the sites<\/a>\u00a0that are able to provide you with one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may also purchase one through the USGS by visiting\u00a0this site<\/a>\u00a0to order online.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once ordered, it can take up to a few weeks to receive your pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your order should contain both a physical card and a hangtag which you place the card inside of. This is how you\u2019ll display your pass while in a park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you drive a vehicle where a hangtag is not possible (for example, a Jeep with the doors removed), you may be able to purchase a decal that will work in place of the hangtag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we\u2019ve covered all the basics of the pass, let\u2019s talk about whether it\u2019s worth it for you to purchase one. If you\u2019re considering buying the pass, I encourage you to the think about the following things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are planning to visit quite a few federal recreation sites in the next year, this pass may be well-worth the initial investment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, my husband and I recently took a trip out west and knew we were going to be visiting at least 4 national parks. Each park had an entrance fee of around $30, so we knew that we would save money if we purchased the $80 pass rather than paying to get into each park individually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about how much money you would spend if you DIDN\u2019T get the pass, and then compare the cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t have any concrete plans to go to a location where the pass would come in handy, it may be a better idea to wait on the pass until you know it\u2019s worth it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is important to look into, because you don\u2019t want to buy the pass and then realize it wasn\u2019t necessary. Not all parks and recreation sites have entrance fees, and so the annual pass wouldn\u2019t help you in those places. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a trip planned, find out what the entrance fee is for each park (you can just do a quick google search, for example, \u2018Yosemite National Park entrance fee\u2019), and see if the overall cost of entrance fees would outweigh the cost of the pass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If so, it\u2019s probably well worth it to get the pass.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope that you now have a better understanding of what these passes are and how they work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I think these passes are great and can save you a lot of money if you\u2019re planning on visiting a lot of national parks or other sites where they are accepted.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have any additional questions that I wasn\u2019t able to answer here, I encourage you to check out the National Park Service website where they answer all kinds of questions pertaining to these passes. You can check that out here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to visit all of the U.S. national parks? Check out the complete list and\u00a0download a printable bucket list version here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello fellow travel lover! Today I wanted to chat about something that you may see me bring up from time to time in the future- The National Park Service Annual Pass. I realize that this may be something that many people have never heard of, or have questions about, or want to hear about from…<\/p>\n\n
How much does the Annual Pass cost?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Does everyone in my family need a pass? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What other types of passes are offered?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Military Pass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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4th Grade Pass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Senior Pass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Access Pass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Volunteer Pass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How do I get a National Park Pass? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In person:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Online:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Some additional things to keep in mind: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Is it worth it for me to purchase a pass? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
how many parks will I be going to in the next year?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Are there entrance fees for the parks I plan on visiting?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n