Buy America The Beautiful Pass as I enter Yellowstone

[Mote]

Instead of ordering the pass online can I buy it as we arrive at the entrance gate at Yellowstone? We're heading there in four weeks.

[Crodad]

If you have an America the Beautiful pass and your state honors it, Louisiana offers a 50% discount on camping fees. This is from the Louisiana web site:


Golden Age and Golden Access Passports are now called the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior and Access Passes, and are issued by the U.S. Geological Survey/Dept. of the Interior. More information can be found at http://store.usgs.gov/pass/. Visitors who hold an America the Beautiful Pass (or already have a Golden Age/Golden Access Passport) and whose home State Park system honor the America the Beautiful passes for overnight discounts, are entitled to a 50% reduction on camping fees at Louisiana State Parks. (Passport holders are allowed one site per passport).

[Rangerman40]

kyhawk wrote:
Great Smoky Mountain National Park doesn't have an entrance fee.

You can thank Tennessee for that, not the Feds. All of the land in GSMNP was privately owned and US 441 (Newfound Gap Rd) was a major route through the mountains. When Tennessee transferred ownership to the Feds they put in a deed restriction that states no toll or fee shall ever be imposed to travel on the road.... hence no entrance fee.

Now North Carolina on the other hand "abandoned" their portion of 441 so their are no restrictions and if they wanted the Feds could charge an entrance fee from the NC side.

[doxiemom11]

You can buy them at Corp of Engineer parks and US Forestry offices/ some parks.

[clikrf8]

When you buy a pass, I believe 80% ofthat fee goes to the park you buy it at. 20% for other parks and/or admin expenses.

[kyhawk]

Great Smoky Mountain National Park doesn't have an entrance fee.

[CharlesinGA]

Last May ('17), knowing the price was going up on the Senior Pass (but still didn't know when), I gave myself a birthday present, I got up in the morning and took a ride about 40 miles to a COE project office at a COE operated dam/lake/campgrounds, and bought myself a Senior Pass.

Charles

[BizmarksMom]

maddog348 wrote:

agesilaus wrote:
Yes they are sold at all major National Parks. Sometimes at the gate and sometimes at the visitor center. Minor parks that don't charge an admission fee I'm not sure about. If you stop at any other parks on your cross country trip, I'd buy the pass there since the YNP gates are very busy usually. You'll be passing a lot of parks on the way.

What 'minor' National Parks DON'T charge an entrance fee????

Just curious.

North Cascades

[edm3rd]

Bought mine at a National Wildlife Refuge office on I-40 between Memphis and Jackson TN.

[Captain_Happy]

And if your in an area OF the country that doesn't have a National Park, or COE Park. When I was living in west Texas years ago I had to drive to the Corp of Engineer main office to get ours which was a 100 miles away.

[2gypsies1]

garmp wrote:
Here's an interesting note about the Geezer pass:
The America the Beautiful Access Pass is a lifetime pass and is available at no charge to veterans with a service-connected disability. Participating agencies include the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.
Just in case you fit into that category.

That's not describing the 'Geezer' pass. The above describes the Disability Access Pass and it's good for any age.

The Geezer Pass is for 62+. It's now $80, I believe but lasts your lifetime. Well worth it!

[agesilaus]

garmp wrote:
Here's an interesting note about the Geezer pass:
The America the Beautiful Access Pass is a lifetime pass and is available at no charge to veterans with a service-connected disability. Participating agencies include the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.
Just in case you fit into that category.

Actually anyone with a letter from their physician, saying that they have a permanent disability can get the lifetime pass. My wife has one. For the VA disability go on the VA site and you can print out a letter from the VA saying you have a service connected disability. That will get you your pass, I have one of those.

[CharlesinGA]

Here is the most up to date (April 18, '18) all inclusive list of where you can buy the various interagency America the Beautiful passes.

https://store.usgs.gov/sites/default/files/PassIssuanceList.pdf

As far as who doesn't charge an entrance fee. Mt Rushmore is one (but there is a parking fee charged by the parking concession, $10 or $5 if a senior, good for one year from issue date).

A number of small National Parks, National Monuments and historic locations do not charge.

Here is a list of parks that normally charge an entrance fee, and will be participating in the fee free days this year.

https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks-state.htm

Here is a list of all National Park/momument/historic site locations, 490 total.

https://www.nps.gov/findapark/advanced-search.htm

Here is a list of the various types of America the Beautiful passes, and how to obtain them. At the bottom of the page is a list of the agencies that honor the passes. Note that the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Land Between the Lakes (and possibly other places) were created via special legislation and are not included in the agencies that honor the passes, however I do understand that the TVA does in some way accept the passes, but I don't know for sure.

https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm

The pass for disabled persons is known as an Access Pass.

Read all of the fine print. Not every Federal site handles things in the same way, or accepts passes for the same things, and if certain features are operated by concessions with a franchise from the NPS or other agency, they are not required to honor the passes for services they provide.

Charles

[garmp]

Here's an interesting note about the Geezer pass:
The America the Beautiful Access Pass is a lifetime pass and is available at no charge to veterans with a service-connected disability. Participating agencies include the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.
Just in case you fit into that category.

[monkey44]

Great Smoky Mountains - no fee