America the Beautiful

I am truly blessed to live in Colorado and even more so living in Grand Junction. But you don’t have to live in Grand Junction or Colorado to enjoy our National Parks and Forrest. People 62 and older are eligible for an America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass. There is a one-time fee of $80.00 and it is good for a lifetime.

NOTE: On August 28, 2017, the pass increased to $80.00.

An America the Beautiful pass is your ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. 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. It also may provide a 50 percent discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and specialized interpretive services.

Another benefit of purchasing a Senior Pass is that 100 percent of the proceeds from annual or the lifetime passes are used to maintain, improve, and enhance our National recreation areas.

Senior Pass

U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over may obtain passes online, in person at federal recreation site, or through the mail using this application form. The cost of obtaining a lifetime America the Beautiful pass through the mail or online is ninety dollars ($90). Eighty ($80) for the Senior Pass and ten ($10) for processing the application. Applicants must provide documentation of age and residency or citizenship.

If you are not interested in a lifetime pass you now have a second option. You can purchase an annual pass which is good for one year for twenty dollars ($20) that offers the same benefits as the lifetime pass. If you go the annual pass route, after four years, you can exchange your annual passes in for a lifetime pass.

By the way, there is a free annual pass available to current U.S. military members and dependents in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard and also, Reserve and National Guard members.

Passes must be obtained in person at a Federal recreation site by showing a Common Access Card (CAC) or Military ID (Form 1173).