Why you Must Get a National Park Pass!

Why you need a National Park pass?

There are 63 reasons why you need a National Park pass. That’s 63 US National Parks for you to explore. If you love to plan adventures as much as I do and want to stop at multiple National Parks along the way it is worth purchasing the America the Beautiful National Park Pass.

Cost: The pass is $80 for a yearly pass and will get you into all of the National Parks for free. This is a great deal if you plan to visit multiple parks because most National Parks are $20-$35 per park. This pass allows the owner of the pass plus 3 adults in the vehicle to enter the park for free. Children 15 and younger are free.

Other National Park passes:

• Senior - $20 annual or $80 lifetime pass

• 4th grade students - FREE

• Military - FREE

• Medically determined permanent disability - FREE (**Access pass)

Access Pass

**We have a National Park Access pass that allows us to enter National Parks for free. Ours is the Access pass which is obtained for an individual with a disability. This is a lifetime pass that will allow my child to continue to use this pass into adulthood. Some permanent disabilities are not easy to see by others. Check with your medical provider to see if they agree that your child has a permanent disability for life. If so, obtain information from them that you can take to certain national parks where you can obtain a National Park pass for free. **Sometimes a mental health disability can qualify as a permanent disability.

We have been lucky enough to visit 15 National Parks with our pass so far. Below is a detailed list of some of the parks you can visit with your pass.

Things to do at National Parks

• hiking

• biking

• cave tours

• camping

• water activities (swimming, kayaking, boating, hiking)

• rock climbing

• horseback riding

• fishing

• ranger led programs

• star gazing

• bird watching

• snorkeling, diving

• hunting

• winter sports (skiing, snowshoeing)

• picnics

• scavenger hunt

• kids can become a junior ranger

• waterfalls

• hunt for animal tracks

• watch a sunset

• geocaching

• view wildlife

• sledding on sand dunes

• and more

Camping at National Parks

Most of the National Parks have camping available. Campground reservations at all campsites can be made at www.recreation.gov. If you have a Senior or Access pass you can get 50% discounts on camping.

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Zion National Park

Zion NP - Zion National park in Utah. The only thing we have done in Zion is visit The Narrows. We loved it so much we have done this hike twice and it was an amazing experience both times. During this hike you will walk in water the entire time and over large rocks. This is a 10 mile hike but you can stop at any time and turn around. It was so fun wading in the water along the Narrows. This area is full of sandstone cliffs and slot canyons ready for your next adventure. Some areas get waist deep so you will need to carry smaller kids. Check out my blog on Zion for more details.

Cost: $35 per vehicle valid for 7 days or FREE with National Park pass

Hours: open 24 hours a day all year

Things to do: backpacking, hiking, bicycling, the Narrows, river trips, rock climbing, visitor center

Camping:

• South Campground - Closed in the winter. Reservations are needed due to the campground being full often. Picnic table, fire ring, dump (seasonal), trash (seasonal), flush toilets, water. Tent sites No hookups. $20, group sites $50

• Watchman Campground - Tent and electric campsites are available year round. Reservations required. Picnic table, fire ring, dump, water, trash, flush toilets. Tent only $20, electric $30, group $50-$130 (seasonal only).

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park was an amazing site to visit in Arizona. The landscape with beautiful and it is amazing to see all of the canyons within the rocks that are carved from the Colorado River. The Grand Canyon is 1 mile deep and 18 miles wide. Quite an expansive canyon. Check out more details of Grand Canyon on my blog.

Cost: $35 for private vehicle for a 7 day pass

Hours: South Rim is open 24 hours a day/365 days of the year. The North Rim closes in the winter from mid October to mid May.

Things to do: hiking, biking, backcountry hiking, mule trips, restaurant, visitor center

Camping:

• Mather Campground on the South Rim - Open all year. Most campsites are reservation only. 10 campsites are first come, first serve. Hot showers, flush toilets, water, dump station, laundry, trash, picnic table, fire ring/grill. No RV hookups. Family camp $18, hiker/biker sites $6, Horse camp $25

• Desert View Campground - Reservations only. Open seasonally. Flush toilets (seasonal), trash, picnic table, fire ring/grill. No hookups. Camp $18.

• North Rim Campground - Closed for winter. Reservations only. Flush toilets (seasonal), dump (seasonal), fire pit/grill, trash, picnic table. No hookups. Family camp $18, hiker/biker $6

• Trailer Village RV Park South Rim - Reservations recommended. The only campsite with full hookups. Fire pit/grill, trash, dump, flush toilets, water, hot showers, laundry, picnic table. Cost $61-$71.

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park located in Colorado. Over 1,400 years ago a group of 700 people lived here and built their homes into the stone walls of Mesa Verde. This structure is just amazing to see and to imagine a life once lived. I cannot imagine the work it took to build such a site. Check out my blog post on Mesa Verde. Definitely a place you will want to visit!

Cost: $20 winter/spring and $30 summer/fall for private vehicle

Hours: Open 24 hours

Things to do: hiking, cliff dwelling tours

Camping:

• Morefield campground. $38 dry camping $51 full hookup. Campsites include picnic table, fire pit/grill. Camp store offers registration, food, camp supplies. Nearby you can find gas, coin laundry, kennel, firewood, showers.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave National Park located in Kentucky gave us the opportunity to cool off after our hot summer in Arizona. We were able to take advantage of the cave to view the tunnels within the cave system. Since our trip dates were not set in stone, we did not know exactly when we would be at this location so were not able to make advance reservations. Therefore we were only able to visit the shorter self guided tour.

Cost: FREE to enter Mammoth Cave NP. However, cave tours are fee based and range from $14-$35 per person. Advanced reservations are suggested but not required. You are not guaranteed an opportunity to tour the cave if you go in person to get tickets the day of your travel.

Hours: Open 24 hours

Things to do: cave tours, visitor center (open 8am-5pm (or 6:30pm depending on season)), canoe/kayak/boating, fishing, hiking, horseback riding

Camping:

• Mammoth Cave Campground - Dump, laundry, trash, water, flush toilets (seasonal), showers (seasonal), fire pit. campsite $25, group $50, electric sites $50

• Maple springs Campground - More secluded sites. All sights have water and electric hookups. Water (seasonal), trash (seasonal), vault toilets (seasonal), fire pit. Campsites $50

• Houchin Ferry Campground - 12 tent only campsites. Reservations only. Water, fire ring, portable toilet. Campsite $20

Padre Island National Seashore

Padre Island National Seashore was a fun and relaxing place to visit on the beach in Texas. This is the second place that we have been able to camp directly on the beach. This area consists of 66 miles of coastline for you to explore and camp. Check out more details on this camping location and Port Aransas, also a beach camping location in Texas.

Cost: $10 per vehicle for a 1 day pass (expires at midnight), $25 for a 7 day pass. $5 per day to use boat ramp.

Hours: Open 24 hours all year.

Things to do: fishing, camping on the beach (free), Windsurfing, canoeing/kayaking, sea turtle release

Amenities: Visitor center (open 9am to 5pm), cold showers (open 24 hours except between 7am -9am when they are cleaning them), flush toilets

Camping: Generators allowed between 6am to 10pm. 14 day camping limit. Camping is FREE with Senior/Access pass.

• North and South beach runs along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. Free camping (need free permit at the entrance) is allowed on the beach. No reservations and first come first served. You will be driving on the sand and camp on the sand at this location. Toilet and dumpster at the entrance. Fires are allowed in a contained grill or within a hole dug in the ground.

• Bird Island Basin Campground. $8 day or $4 with Senior or Access pass. Toilets only. No reservations and first come first serve. Windsurfing.

• Malaquite Campground. $14 night or $7 with Senior or Access pass. No reservations. First come first serve only. Flush toilets, cold showers, picnic table, shade structures, grill, paved parking.

Pets are welcome except in buildings

White Sands National Park

White Sands National Park proved to be a beautiful place to visit with its white glistening sand and warm weather within New Mexico. The sand is so soft and beautiful and you will spending time here. Check out more information on my blog about White Sands NP.

Cost: $25 per vehicle

Hours: Open 7am - 9am daily. Hours vary during holidays

Amenities: Visitor Center (open 9am - 5pm)

Things to do: biking, hiking, picnicking, private individual horse riding

Camping: Primitive backcountry camping only

Due to missile testing within the area this park may close temporarily during testing.

Pets allowed except in buildings.

Mt Rushmore National Memorial

Mt Rushmore National Memorial located in South Dakota was a great place to visit. It is amazing to see the final product that so many people worked so hard to create. The sacrifice made to build this memorial was time well spent.

Cost: It is FREE to visit Mt Rushmore but you do have to pay for parking which $10 per vehicle. National Park passes cannot be used for parking fees.

Hours: Parking structure and memorial grounds 5am - 11pm and 5am - 9pm in the winter months.

Amenities: Gift shop 8am - 8:30pm (closing hours vary), Information Center 8am - 5pm (closing hours vary), Carvers’ Cafe 8am - 7pm (closing hours vary)

Things to do: hiking, visiting the memorial

Camping: camping and overnight parking are not allowed within Mt Rushmore National Memorial. Camping is available in the surrounding Black Hills.

As you can see from the above information there are many reasons to get a National Park pass. National Parks provide many different opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, camping and so many other activities. Without a National Park pass you will spend a lot of money to visit each park as each park costs around $20- $35 per visit.

What is your favorite National Park to visit? Comment below.

Enjoy the journey,

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