USING OUR AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL PASS
Maybe we were naive when we first started traveling four years ago in our RV, but we didn’t know about the America the Beautiful Interagency Pass until we read up on RVing. Now, we buy a pass every year because we love visiting National Parks while we travel. However, the America Beautiful Pass has more to offer than just National Park entrance. We have used it to enter National Monuments, including the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Natural Area in Oregon and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine, Florida. We have also used our pass to hike in National Forests without paying day fees. Because we are not yet old enough, we must purchase a new interagency pass for $80 every year. However, when Jessica turns 62, we will buy a lifetime senior pass for $80. This year alone (2024) we have visited eight National Parks to date. We spent several days each in Zion, Yellowstone, Arches, and Canyonlands. Without the America the Beautiful Pass, this would have cost us a lot of money. However, the $80 pass covered all of our entry fees for these National Parks. If we were pulling our RV, the pass would have also covered our recreational fee in the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway where we primitive camped for three days and saw lots of moose!
WHERE YOU CAN USE THE AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL PASS
We have only used our America the Beautiful Interagency Pass at National Parks, National Forests, National Monuments, and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse Natural Area. However, there are so many places you can use this pass. Some National Forests discount camping for half price with the pass. You can also use it in Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Corp of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife, etc.. You can find links to more information with the Interagency Pass at https://store.usgs.gov/2024-annual-pass. Also, don’t be afraid to ask if you can receive a discount, for example, on camping on federal land with the pass. It never hurts to ask!
PURCHASING THE AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL PASS
You do not need to be an American citizen to purchase and use the America the Beautiful Interagency Pass. We met a gentleman from Switzerland traveling through the U.S. and Mexico. He used his pass to enter National Parks and to save on a cabin rental in a National Park. Purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass is easy. You can buy one at any regulated entrance to a National Park. When you pull up to pay, simply ask to purchase the Interagency Pass. It is a fantastic purchase if you will be traveling the U.S. and visiting National Parks. You can learn more about the America the Beautiful and other National Park entrance passes at https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm#america-the-beautiful-passes.
DON’T FORGET ANNUAL STATE PARK PASSES
Also, if you will be traveling in a state and visiting several state parks, you might want to check out an annual state park pass for nonresidents. It is a wonderful way to see cool places in states and it is a lot cheaper than paying the entrance fees every time. We purchased annual state park passes for Washington, Oregon, Michigan, and Wisconsin because we knew we would be checking out a lot of these state parks. These passes have also saved us a lot of money when traveling.
So, be safe and have fun while traveling. And, if you are going to any of our gorgeous National Parks, visiting National Monuments, or hiking fees areas in our National Forests, check out the America the Beautiful Interagency Pass.