The US national parks are quite special and lovely locations to visit, and they’re great for folks who enjoy being outside. There are countless places to explore, and they are dispersed all over the continent.
Unfortunately, there is no formal membership that grants free access to US national parks. Instead, you can pay a nominal price and gain access to the majority of national parks by purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass.
The America the Beautiful Pass is a 12-month entry pass to numerous national forests in the United States. You can travel to more than 100 stunning locations and experience your greatest fantasies for a modest charge.
In this article, we will look into what the America the Beautiful Pass really is, how much it costs, and which parks are included.
So, let’s get started.
What is the ‘America the Beautiful’ Pass?
The America the Beautiful Pass is a national park membership for the USA that allows entry to numerous national forests and other locations run by the Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as other organizations.
The pass can be used and remains active for a full year after being purchased. You have 12 months to try to visit every one of the nearly 100 national parks before you must renew it.
How Much Does the ‘America the Beautiful’ Pass Cost?
The annual fee of the America the Beautiful Pass is just $80. It stays valid for one year from the month of purchase, so if you were to purchase the pass in March 2023, it would remain valid until March 2024.
Being able to enter over 100 national parks for just $80 is an absolute steal when you consider that the biggest, most visited national parks in the US cost $30–$40 for admission.
You would wind up saving thousands of dollars if you visited every national park in a year while using this pass.
This national park pass will grant you entry for the pass bearer and all passengers in a private form of transportation, such as a car or a van, for parks that require permits per vehicle.
The pass is valid for up to 4 adults in parks with per-person admission fees.
Which National Parks’ Admissions are Included with the ‘America the Beautiful’ Pass?
The America the Beautiful Pass offers access to 105 national parks in total. Each park included by the pass is listed below, along with their original admission costs.
Please be aware that many of these parks actually provide free entrance to children who are under 15 years old.
Additionally, a lot of private vehicle tickets permit the holder to visit the designated park as frequently as they desire during the course of seven days. This is not the case for every park mentioned, however, so you will need to check on their websites.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon (Also check out Waterfalls In Oregon), charges a $30 admission fee per private vehicle during the summer ($20 during the winter).
Zion National Park, Utah, charges a $35 admission fee per private vehicle.
Final Thoughts
If you are the kind of person who loves exploring the outdoors, or you’d love an adventure to one of America’s national parks, then we definitely recommend checking out the America the Beautiful Pass.
The price of this pass is an absolute bargain, allowing you to visit hundreds of national parks for a small annual fee of $80. If this is something that interests you, we recommend getting your very own pass as soon as possible.
What are you waiting for?
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Money Do You Save While Using The ‘America the Beautiful’ Pass?
After reading how much each admission fee costs for every national park included in the America the Beautiful program, you can only imagine how much money you would be saving.
The lowest admission fees per person are around $8. If you multiply that $8 by the number of national parks included, which is 105, you would get 840.
This means that, even if every national park had an $8 admission fee, you would end up paying around $840 if you wanted to visit every single one.
With the America the Beautiful pass, you would be saving $760. So, when considering the fact that most of the parks have a $25-$45 admission fee, you’ll actually end up saving thousands of dollars by purchasing this pass.
Of course, it is unlikely that you will end up visiting every single one of these mentioned national parks within a single year (unless you are planning to challenge yourself).
However, even if you only visit a handful, you’ll still save yourself money. To visit the Grand Canyon, you’d have to pay $35.
Joshua Tree is $30, and the Thomas Edison National Park is $15. If you add each of these admission fees together, you get $80… so, in reality, without the pass, $80 would only get you admission into three parks. With the pass, you can visit over a hundred!
How To Use Your ‘America the Beautiful’ Pass
Instead of a printed pass, the America the Beautiful Pass is a card. You will obtain it via the post after placing an online buy. And after that, load up your rucksack and head out to your chosen national park.
And after that, load up your rucksack and head out to your chosen national park. You then present the park guards with your ID and America the Beautiful Pass at the admission point.
The park rangers will then give you a map of the region and return your paperwork. You can then tour the national park of your choice at your leisure.
How To Purchase the ‘America the Beautiful’ Pass
There are three easy ways to obtain your very own America the Beautiful Pass. You can either buy them online, over the phone, or in-person.
If you would like to buy a pass online right now, head to the Rei website right now and fill in your information.
The card will then be sent to you through the post within no time at all. While you wait, you can begin planning your adventures ahead of time.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer to buy a pass over the phone, you can call 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) and place an order.
Hi, my name is Alex Kallen and I love to travel. Ever since I could afford the ticket, I hopped on a plane and never looked back. I’ve made a living writing travel guides and blogging my experience all over the world.
I want to encourage and inspire others to travel around the US like I am. There’s no need to go on vacation overseas when there is an amazing land of opportunity right on your doorstep. Enjoy my website, I hope to see you out here one day.
