Change Is In the Cards: New "America the Beautiful" Pass Introduced in January

That little piece of plastic that buys you 365 days of access to hundreds of national parks for the bargain-rate price of only $50 is about to be replaced. Since 2000, thousands of people have handed their National Parks Pass to rangers at park entrances in exchange for a wave, a map, and a schedule of nature talks. But in 2004, Congress passed legislation to combine the fee-collection process for lands managed by the federal government. Beginning in January, the new "America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass," will provide access to all participating federal sites where entrance or standard amenity fees are charged. The price had not been determined when this issue went to press.

The new pass will provide entrance to lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Forest Service. At least 80 percent of the revenue will help fund facilities and services where the pass was purchased, and the remaining amount will be dispersed by the government agency that oversees that site; although many NPS sites collect no fees, those units would still be able to benefit from revenue generated by the program.

Passes will be available for purchase at entrance points, ranger stations, visitor centers, and some agency offices, and will be valid for one year from the date of purchase. If you purchased a parks pass in the last few months, no need to worry—all previously issued passes will remain valid until their expiration date. And if you’re 62 or older, you’ll still be able to purchase a $10 lifetime pass similar to the Golden Age Passport. For more information, visit http://store.usgs.gov/pass or call 888-ASK-USGS.

Scott Kirkwood is editor of National Parks magazine.