Service Members, Families Get Free Pass to National Parks

Service members and their families will be able to enter all of America’s national parks free of charge for a year. The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Annual Pass, which normally costs $80, became available to service members and their dependents on Armed Forces Day, May 19.

The pass allows the holder and passengers in a single private vehicle access to some 2,000 sites that charge per vehicle. At sites where entrance fees are charged per person, it covers the pass owner and three adults age 16 and older.

Military personnel can get the passes at any national park or wildlife refuge that charges an entrance fee by showing their military ID. Family members also will be able to obtain their own pass, even if the service member is deployed or if they are traveling separately.

The pass will be accepted at National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Army Corps sites that charge entrance or standard amenity fees.

The free pass will be made available for activated members of the National Guard and Reserves. It is not available for military veterans or retirees, who have other opportunities for free or reduced admission, such as the National Park Service’s “Access Pass” or a seniors pass for those 62 and older.

The free pass initiative is part of the “Joining Forces” campaign. "Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our servicemen and women who make great sacrifices to protect our country and preserve our freedom," Dr. Biden said in a White House statement. "In recognition of their service, we are so pleased to be putting out a welcome mat for our military families at America's most beautiful and storied sites."

(Source: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116342)