Free Canada Parks Discovery Pass timeline

If you don't already have a pass you can stop at any Park Gate or Visitor Centre within the Park and pick up one free.

I could be wrong but I thought you needed the pass to get in free. If you didn't have the free pass you had to pay at the gate.

Got my free passes in today's mail. Took a little more than a month. Thanks, Parks Canada!

In 2012 for a couple of months in Atlantic Canada, I bought the passes (and they weren't cheap even at a senior rate). If I remember right, it was a sturdy pass with a cut-out so you could hang it from your windshield rear view mirror or place it to be visible on the dash, and then they would wave us through the entry gate.

I recall when we went to the Fortress of Louisbourg, we also got waved past a long line of people in the visitor center waiting to buy admission passes.

I did the math and buying the passes did save us money vs individual admissions. But free is even better.

Yes, if not ordered beforehand you will be issued one free at the park gate.

As I understand it, if you don't get the free pass beforehand, you need to get one at the park entrance (of the first park you visit). Ordering it ahead of time speeds things up at the park. I don't know this from personal experience, though.

All National Parks and Historic Sites are free in 2017, but the free pass is still needed for 2017. I believe they issued the passes to track the amount of interest generated.

I just got mine, but wonder if it's really needed as it's just for 2017 and Canada says all national parks are free for 2017. Am I missing something?

We ordered ours on 12-06-2016 and received it on 1-18-2017.

Good to know.

By the way, I saw a post on this forum where someone (maybe you) mentioned getting an email acknowledgement after ordering. I never got any form of acknowledgment when I ordered the first time. Must not have gone through.

So I reordered, and did indeed get responses confirming they have my request and will be sending. Nice savings for our trip this summer, and I'm grateful to Parks Canada for their generosity.