Go to National parks FREE or discount in 2022
1. U.S. Military or Veterans
If you are a member of the U.S. or are now a Veteran you and your dependents can qualify for an Annual Military Pass which would give you FREE entrance into National Parks
- Remember this is only an entrance fee waiver so this does not cover activities, permits, camping, etc only the park entrance fee
You will need to provide some sort of Military or Veteran Identification
- There may be a small processing fee possibly $10
2. Be a 4th Grader
4th Grade student can receive a FREE National Parks Pass for the duration of there academic school year from September- August.
This offer is valid for 4th graders, those that are homeschool, those that are free learners that are 10 years old
You can get this pass by going to https://www.everykidoutdoors.gov/how.htm to get a paper pass that you will then exchange for the Annual 4th grade pass at a recreation site.
There may be a small processing fee possibly $10
3. Check your state library
Recently someone posted a video on Tiktok stating that there library in California either gives them the passes completely FREE or lets them borrow the passes for a limited time so check with your library, libraries have so many resources in fact a lot of the libraries in the Baltimore, Maryland allow you to borrow a Chromebook to take home, have 3D printing services, allow you to get your passport and so much more so don’t sleep on libraries go to your local library website and look for the resources they offer. Currently I have not found any in my area yet that allows me to get the National park pass but you never know the libraries in your state just might so give it a try.
There may be a small processing fee possibly $10
4. Senior Citizens
If you or someone you know is a senior they can get a heavily discounted Senior Pass for the National Parks. I believe up until August of 2017 the Senior pass was only $10 for a Lifetime Pass I know crazy right but since then the price has increase to $80 for a Lifetime Pass and $20 for an annual Pass. I gotta say one of the only things that excites me about being a senior is the major discounts that they get for restaurants, events, traveling, amusement parks etc. Up to 3 traveling companies are free within the same non-commercial vehicle. The pass also gets you discounts on amenities such as camping, tours, swimming, etc.
There may be a small processing fee possibly $10
5. U.S. Citizens or Permanent Resident with Permanent Disabilities.
You can receive a FREE Lifetime Pass called an Access Pass if you are a U.S. Citizen or permanent citizen with a permanent disability .
- You need to provide documentation of permanent disability and residency.
There may be a small processing fee possibly $10
6. Volunteer
If you volunteer with a federal agency that participates in the interagency pass program and have done 250 service hours then you can qualify for a Free Annual Pass
7. Annual Pass
If you’re like me and don’t qualify for any of the above you can get a heavily discounted Annual National Park Pass. The fee for that pass is currently $80 a year. The National Park pass can grant you access to about 2,000 different recreation sites and some entrance fees can be around $20 so you do the math.
Here’s a link to where you can buy your annual pass from https://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html
8. FREE DAYS!!!
I almost forgot this one! There are days throughout the year that you can actually gain entrance to National Parks for FREE! here are days you can go to National Parks for FREE
- January 17: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- April 16: First day of National Park Week
- August 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- September 24: National Public Lands Day
- November 11: Veterans Day
One of these dates just passed the weekend and I forgot right when it was too late. But there are still a few days left so I thought it would be a great idea to start planning trips around those dates I already have a list of a few parks I want to go to.