We love going to our national parks. We love hiking and camping and exploring and learning through the Junior Ranger programs. Some parks require an entrance fee, but many do not. Be sure to do a bit of research ahead of time so you don’t get caught paying an unexpected fee.

There are a variety of passes you can purchase to enter national park sites.

Weekly Single Park Pass

The fee is usually paid by the vehicle load, and currently the highest fee is $35 per vehicle. Some parks charge per person, age 16 and older (children 15 and under are free). Currently, the highest fee per person is $20. Check entrance fees before you go to a park so you don’t get caught unprepared.

>> Good for seven consecutive days and price varies by location.

Park Specific Annual Pass

This is a great option if you live near one park and visit all the time, and don’t plan on visiting any other parks.

>> Cost varies by park. Good for one year from date of purchase.

>> This page lists applicable entrance fees for each park that charges them.

America the Beautiful Annual Pass

At $80 a year, an annual pass can be pricey if you only go to one national park a year. But we find it’s easy to more than get our money’s worth after visiting just a few national park sites. Keep in mind that not all sites require a fee to enter, so check that beforehand as well.

This pass is good for all national park sites, as well as sites included in the Interagency Pass Program, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites.

>> $80, good for one year from date of purchase.

Military Annual Pass

Full disclosure: we get our annual pass free every year because active and reserve military members are eligible for a free pass. We discovered this option a few years ago after paying for our first couple annual passes and we love this benefit.

You can receive your pass by showing your military ID card at a fee collection point and filling out a form. This pass is good for all national park sites, as well as sites included in the Interagency Pass Program, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites.

One thing to note: while the wording on most NPS pages states “active duty military”, if you dig deeper, this page states the following under the question “Who qualifies for the Annual Pass-Military?”

Current U.S. Military personnel and their dependents who present, in person, a U.S. Department of Defense CAC identification or DD Form 1173 dependent identification and are in the following military personnel classification:

• Current members of the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard
• Dependents of current U.S. military members with DD Form 1173
• U.S. Military Cadets
• U.S. Active Reservists (Do not need to be deployed)

So you don’t actually have to be active duty military to qualify for this pass- National Guard and Reserve members qualify as well.

>> Free for one year from when you receive it.

4th Grade Annual Pass

Have you heard of Every Kid in a Park? Any child in fourth grade is eligible for a free annual pass for them and their family. Public school, private school, homeschool, it doesn’t matter. We didn’t take advantage of this program when Sunshine was in 4th grade because we already had our Military Annual Pass, but if that hadn’t been available to us, we would have definitely gotten the 4th Grade Pass.

Fill out and print a paper pass at this site, then take it with you when you go to a national park site. While there, you can exchange it for an 4th Grade Annual Pass. Your 4th grader must be present. This pass is good for all national park sites, as well as sites included in the Interagency Pass Program, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites.

>> Free for one year, from the beginning of 4th grade to the end of the summer after 4th grade.

Volunteer Annual Pass

Did you know that if you complete 250 hours of service you’re eligible for a free annual pass? Find volunteer opportunities here, or check your local park for volunteer opportunities.

This pass is good for all national park sites, as well as sites included in the Interagency Pass Program, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites.

>> Free for one year from when you receive it.

Senior Annual Pass

US citizens or permanent residents 62 years and older are eligible for the Senior Annual Pass. You must provide documentation supporting age and residency status. Unlike the other annual passes I’ve talked about, the Senior Annual Pass may include a 50% discount on camping and some other services, but this varies by location, so verify ahead of time.

This pass is good for all national park sites, as well as sites included in the Interagency Pass Program, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites.

>> $20 for one year or purchase it 4 years in a row and exchange it for a Senior Lifetime Pass.

Senior Lifetime Pass

US citizens or permanent residents 62 years and older are eligible for the Senior Lifetime Pass. You must provide documentation supporting age and residency status. Like the Senior Annual Pass, the Senior Lifetime Pass may include a 50% discount on camping and some other services, but this varies by location, so verify ahead of time.

This pass is good for all national park sites, as well as sites included in the Interagency Pass Program, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites.

>> One time fee of $80. If you purchased a Senior Lifetime Pass (Golden Age Pass) before Aug 2017, you paid less, but it is still valid.

Access Pass

US citizens or permanent residents of any age with permanent disabilities are eligible for the lifetime Access Pass. I initially thought this applied only to people with mobility-related disabilities, but I’ve recently learned differently.

For the purposes of the Access Pass, a disability is defined as a “permanent physical, mental, or sensory impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities” (source). This file has more information about the Access pass, including the documentation needed to verify your disability and the application to fill out.

You must provide documentation supporting permanent disability and residency status. Like the Senior Annual and Lifetime Passes, the Access Pass may include a 50% discount on camping and some other services, but this varies by location, so verify ahead of time.

This pass is good for all national park sites, as well as sites included in the Interagency Pass Program, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites.

>> Free of charge if paperwork is submitted at an entrance gate (though call beforehand to make sure they’ll have a pass available), one time fee of $10 if filed online.

>> More info and applications for the passes can be found here.

>> FAQ about the passes can be found here.

But what if you don’t qualify for one of the free passes and aren’t sure you’ll get your money’s worth from a paid annual pass?

Fee Free Days

National Park Fee Free Days occur several times throughout the calendar year, and just as the name says, allows free entrance into all national parks on those days. Since some of the parks can run upwards of $35 per vehicle (or more if you have a large family and have to pay per person), you could save a good amount of money.

Save one of the images in this post so you can easily remember when the fee free days for this year are. Don’t let them pass you by!

This post was originally published in October 2018, but has been edited to include up-to-date information.

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Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we like to hike at our national parks. We use the 52 Hike Challenge to help us stay motivated to hike on a regular basis. Want to join the 52 Hike Challenge? It’s not too late! The 52 Hike Challenge does not operate on a calendar year, so you can sign up at any time throughout the year, and you have 12 months to complete 52 hikes. Sign up using my link and I’ll earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. You can also click on the 52 Hike Challenge image in the right sidebar.