America the Beautiful Senior Pass

Get the $80 lifetime pass. It will pay for it self just in entrance fees to get into three or four of the parks. Any discount on campgrounds is just gravy.

The Senior Pass seems to work in all NPs. and National Forests, and on other Federal sites no matter who runs them. They are under contracts with the US Govt. We got into Yosemite for free.

I never paid anything at Yellowstone being a senior.

pinesman wrote:
Already thinking about our next trip out west. The last time we were out there, I was not old enough to have a Senior pass but might next time. Is it safe to assume Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks do not give the Senior pass discount for camping since they are operated by concessionaires? Thanks.

The only way to find out is to contact the concessionaire. Some honor the 50% camping discount, some don't.

But the senior pass is still a good deal, even at the new $80 price.

We stayed at Madison Campground in Yellowstone in May 2016. They gave us the 50% off. We have never found a National Park,COE or Forest service campground that did not honor it.

Concessionaires are not obligated to accept the pass at locations they manage if it's not mandated in their contract. So, when booking or visiting a location under the control of a concessionaire, you should not automatically assume it will be honored. Some do, some don't. To be sure, when planning to visit or stay at a managed site just call the concessionaire to ask or visit their website as they are all required by contract to post their pass acceptance policy!

The same goes for co-government managed sites. Some will accept both their State pass and the federal park pass equally, while others accept the dominate pass as is and the subordinate pass at a discount. Again, call and ask or visit their websites.

And let's not forget the federal park-forest that have their own individual pass system not part of the normal federal interagency pass system. In those parks or forest, you need their own pass to enter or get discounts; the federal interagency pass just gets you out of a ticket but you still need to buy their pass if caught.

With so many Parks and Forest and Conservation and Historical and this and that's, there is no 'one way' the passes are accepted or honored. Always check when you are planing so you don't mistakenly assume it will or wont be honored.

Salt Springs Recreation Area in FL and Lake Powhatan Recreation Area in NC are both concessionaire operated NFS campgrounds. They both discount the base camping rate by 50% for a Senior Access Pass, but not any extra charges for full hookups, etc. Our upcoming stay at Salt Springs worked out to $22.21 per night, and Lake Powhatan at $21.60 per night, both for full hookup sites.

OP back again. Thanks for all of the responses. I have a little time to go yet but as soon as I am old enough, I do plan to get the Sr. Access pass

Here is information on where the discount can be used.

Our local COE campground is leased out to the people that run the marina- Pontiac Cove Marina and campground in Pontiac, Missouri. They give no discount for anybody for anything. And their campground is empty. Two other COE campgrounds- one 20 miles south and one 20 miles west- welcome the Senior Pass, and their campgrounds always have campers. If we didn't have our boat docked there, we would not be doing business with Pontiac Cove Marina and campground.