Perks of the National Parks Senior Pass

Above, the entrance to Yosemite's North Pines Campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to The Daily Courier of Prescott, Arizona, details on what people over the age of 62 can use the Senior Pass for has been posted.

They wrote:

It’s a pass that lasts a lifetime — well, beginning at age 62 and beyond, that is. The Senior Pass, offered through five federal entities, costs $10 and is good for as long as the person can use it. 

The pass gains free entrance to 417 national parks and monuments, U.S. Forest Service sites, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites — any that charge an entrance fee. It also provides a 50 percent discount for fees at some campgrounds. 

Betty and Terry Wood, passing through Prescott this past week, stopped in at the Prescott National Forest office on Cortez Street looking for some good hiking trails. Visiting from Tennessee, the 70-year-olds utilize their Senior Pass wherever they go. 

“We got it a long time ago. It’s been the best thing,” Betty Wood said. “That was a happy day getting our pass.”

A possible price increase — up to $80 — may take place by the end of 2017 based on the National Park Service Centennial Act that Congress approved in December 2016. This Act raises fees and sets up an endowment to help pay for projects and visitor services, the National Park Service website states.

To read more, go here.