Federal Recreational Lands Pass

Some 30 national wildlife refuges  charge visitors a nominal entrance fee (generally $3-$5 daily)  to cover road and facility maintenance.  If you are a regular visitor or would like to visit other public lands, you could save by buying an America the Beautiful Federal Recreational Lands Passes, your ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites.

In celebration of President Trump’s signing of the Great American Outdoors Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced August 5, 2020, as a fee-free day for national wildlife refuges, joining other public lands administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior. U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt also announced that every August 4 will be designated “Great American Outdoors Day,” which will be a free entrance day to celebrate the signing of this landmark legislation.

America the Beautiful:
Federal Recreational Lands Passes

Each pass covers entrance fees at national parks and national wildlife refuges as well as standard amenity fees (day use fees) at national forests and grasslands and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A pass covers entrance, standard amenity fees and day-use fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per-vehicle fee areas (or up to four adults at sites that charge per person). Children age 15 or under are admitted free.

See a list of all federal recreation sites (PDF), including wildlife refuges, where the passes are issued.

Annual Pass
Cost: $80 annual pass

Available for: Everyone, non-transferable

Purchase:  In person at a federal recreation site (see PDF list of federal recreation sites that issue passes). By phone at: 888-ASK USGS (1-888-275-8747), extension 3. (Hours of operation are: 8 am to 4 pm Mountain Time). Or online—Buy now from the USGS store!

Frequently Asked Questions about the Interagency Annual Pass (USGS website)

Free Annual Pass for U.S. Military
Cost: Free annual pass

Available for: Current U.S. military members and dependents in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard as well as Reserve and National Guard members.

How to obtain: In person at a federal recreation site (see PDF list of federal recreation sites that issue passes) by showing a Common Access Card (CAC) or Military ID (Form 1173).

Frequently Asked Questions about the Annual Pass for U.S. Military (USGS website)

Voucher for 5th-Graders (October 2020 — August 2021)

Cost:Free

Available for: All 5th-graders. Because the COVID-19 pandemic kept many students from making full use of their Every Kid Outdoors annual 4th-grade passes earlier in 2020, free access vouchers have been made available to all 5th-graders through August 2021.

How to obtain: Download and print 5th-grader vouchers from this site:
https://www.nps.gov/kids/fifthgrade.htm 

Bring the voucher with you and exchange it for an entrance pass (at staffed sites) or place it on your vehicle’s dashboard (at unstaffed sites).

Annual 4th Grade Pass
Cost: Free, Non-transferable (valid for the duration of the 4th-grade school year though the following summer (September-August).

Available for: U.S. 4th graders (including home-schooled and free-choice learners 10 years of age) with a valid Every Kid in the Outdoors paper pass.

How to obtain: Paper passes can be printed from  the Every Kid in the Outdoors website and can be exchanged for the Annual 4th Grade Pass at federal recreation sites that charge Entrance or Standard Amenity fees (Day Use Fee) (see PDF list of federal recreation sites that issue passes). Digital versions of the paper pass (such as on smartphones or tablets) will not be accepted to exchange for an Annual 4th Grade Pass.

More information: Educators can also be involved! Learn more at the Every Kid in the Outdoors website.
Additional Details about the Annual 4th Grade Pass (USGS website)

Senior Pass
Cost:  $80 Lifetime Senior Pass or $20 Annual Senior Pass

Available for: U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over. Applicants must provide documentation of age and residency or citizenship. How to purchase: In person at a federal recreation site (see PDF list of federal recreation sites that issue passes). Online: Buy the lifetime pass or the annual pass online now through the USGS store! Or purchase by mail using this application form (PDF).

NOTE:There is an additional cost of $10 for passes purchased online or by mail.

Additional information: The Senior Pass provides a 50 percent discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch and specialized interpretive services.

• The Senior Pass generally does NOT provide a discount on special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessioners.
• Golden Age Passports are no longer sold. However, previously issued passes will continue to be honored according to the provisions of the pass.
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Interagency Senior Pass (USGS website)

Access Pass
Cost:  Free

Available for: U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States who have been medically determined to have a permanent disability.(This need not be a 100 percent disability.)

How to acquire: In person at a federal recreation site (see PDF list of federal recreation sites that issue passes). Online: Buy through the USGS store. Or purchase by mail using this application form (PDF).

NOTE:There is a cost of $10 for passes purchased online or by mail.

Additional information: The lifetime Access Pass provides a 50 percent discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch and specialized interpretive services.

• The Access Pass generally does NOT provide a discount on special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessioners.
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Access Pass (USGS website)

National Wildlife Refuges with Entrance Fees

Hawaii National Wildlife Refuges
Kilauea Point ($10/person)

Pacific Northwest National Wildlife Refuges
Dungeness
Nisqually              
Ridgefield
Turnbull (Seasonal Fee from March 1 - October 31)
               
California/Nevada National Wildlife Refuges
Sacramento

Southwest National Wildlife Refuges
Aransas
Bosque del Apache
Buffalo Lake       
Laguna Atascosa
Santa Ana            

Midwest National Wildlife Refuges
Big Oaks
Crab Orchard
Desoto
Mingo

Southeast National Wildlife Refuges
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee
Hobe Sound
Holla Bend
J.N. “Ding” Darling
Merritt Island
Okefenokee
Sam Hamilton Noxubee
St. Marks

Northeast National Wildlife Refuges
Back Bay
Bombay Hook
Blackwater
Chincoteague
Edwin B. Forsythe
Elizabeth A. Morton