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PARKS PASS<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Updated 10\/20\/21<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to Decide Whether to Buy a National Parks Pass<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Dear H+A:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>
My wife and I have lined up a road trip this month to visit at least 3 national parks.\u00a0 I am trying to figure out if it makes sense to buy an annual or lifetime interagency National Parks Pass or just pay the entry fees as we go.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>
I\u2019ve looked at the National Parks Service website, and the FAQ page<\/a> alone is 19 pages long.\u00a0 Can you summarize the requirements quickly for me?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>
For example, I wonder if I need a pass for every person entering the park and whether it matters if one of us (me) is over 62 and eligible for the Senior Pass.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>
Best regards,\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>
A Faithful Reader<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Dear Faithful Reader:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>
Thanks for your question!\u00a0 The America the Beautiful<\/i>\u2014<\/i>The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series<\/i> (or interagency pass) is generally a great value providing entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites managed by 6 participating agencies<\/a>, including the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>As explained below, however, the answer to your question depends on the total cost of the entrance fees at the parks that you<\/span> intend to visit within the next year.<\/span><\/p>
You can skip to the <\/span>Conclusion<\/b> section for the short answer to your question, but I provide support for my answer in steps 1 through 4 that you and other readers might find helpful if you or they are<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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(1) planning to visit multiple national parks within a 12-month period;<\/span><\/p>
(2) driving a single non-commercial vehicle into the park; and<\/span><\/p>
(3) ineligible for any of the <\/span>free National Parks Passes<\/span><\/a> (for the military, the permanently disabled, 4th graders, and\/or volunteers) or park-specific educational waivers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Note:\u00a0 This article contains affiliate links that might help us earn a small commission at no cost to you.\u00a0 See our disclosure policy<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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1.\u00a0 Add Up the Cost of Entrance Fees at the Parks That You Intend to Visit<\/b><\/h2>
First, to decide whether to buy an interagency National Parks Pass,\u00a0you should add up the cost of entrance fees at the parks that you intend to visit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
There are currently <\/span>108 parks<\/span><\/a> out of over 400 National Park Service sites charging an entrance fee.\u00a0 If the parks you\u2019ll be visiting don\u2019t charge entrance fees or you plan to visit them on their <\/span>Free Entrance Days<\/span><\/a>, you have your answer.\u00a0 For future trips, you might also be interested to know that <\/span>children under age 16 are always admitted free<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>
You can use this\u00a0<\/span>list of entrance fees by park<\/span><\/a> to add up how much they will cost you without a National Parks Pass.\u00a0 Note that most national parks on the list have <\/span>4 different entrance fees<\/span><\/a> for vehicles, people, motorcycles, or park-specific annual passes.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Per vehicle fees<\/b> range from $5 to $35 and typically apply to a <\/span>single, private,\u00a0 non-commercial vehicle and include all occupants.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>
P<\/b>er person fees<\/b> range from $7 to $20 and typically apply to pedestrians, hikers, and bikers without a vehicle.\u00a0 A third of park entrance fees apply only on a per-person basis.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>
Per motorcycle fees<\/b> range from $15 to $30 and typically apply to 1 or 2 passengers on a private, non-commercial motorcycle.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>
Park-specific annual pass fees<\/b> range from $35 to $70.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Depending on the park, the entrance fee may give you access for single or multiple day(s) (for example, compare the <\/span>fees at Acadia National Park<\/span><\/a> with the <\/span>fees at Rocky Mountain National Park<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
Therefore, assuming that you and your wife plan to drive your car to the 3 national parks, you should use this <\/span>list of entrance fees by park<\/span><\/a> to add up the per vehicle entrance fees for those 3 parks or, if not available, the per person entrance fees for each park.<\/span><\/p>
2.\u00a0 Compare the Total Cost of Entrance Fees to the Cost of the National Parks Pass<\/b><\/h2>
Second, to decide whether to buy an interagency National Parks Pass,\u00a0 you should compare the total cost of any entrance fees for the parks you\u2019ll be visiting in the next 12 months to the cost of a pass.\u00a0 As you’ll quickly see, the math is in your favor if you’re eligible for a senior pass.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
For readers eligible for the regular Annual Pass only, the math will depend on which national parks you plan to visit.\u00a0 For example, if you were only going to 2 Colorado parks this year in the example below, it would not make financial sense to get an Annual Pass unless someone in your personal network could use it to visit parks this year, too. <\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Example of National Park Entrance Fees in Colorado Compared to Interagency Park Passes<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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NATIONAL PARK<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/th>
PER VEHICLE ENTRANCE FEE<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Rocky Mountain National Park\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
$35\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
Mesa Verde National Park\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
$30\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr>
Great Sand Dunes National Park\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
$25\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr>
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
$30\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr>
TOTAL COST<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
$120\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody>\n\t\t\t<\/table>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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INTERAGENCY PARK PASS<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/th>
COST<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Annual Pass\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
$80\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
Annual Senior Pass\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
$20\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr>
Lifetime Senior Pass\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td>
$80\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody>\n\t\t\t<\/table>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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You have a choice of the following 3 America the Beautiful (interagency) park passes to purchase if you do not otherwise qualify for the <\/span>free National Parks Passes:<\/span><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Annual Pass<\/b><\/a> (<\/span>anyone<\/span><\/a> age 16 or older) costs $80 and <\/span>admits<\/span><\/a> the pass owner\/s and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle (or pass owner + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, where per-person fees are charged) for 12 months from the month of purchase, expiring on the last day of that month.\u00a0 Each annual pass can have 2 owners.\u00a0 A \u201c<\/span>pass owner<\/span><\/a>\u201d is defined as a \u201c[p]erson whose signature is on the back of the Pass.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Note<\/span><\/a> that any two people can sign an Annual Pass–they do not have to be related or married.\u00a0 Photo identification will be requested to verify pass ownership.\u00a0 An Annual Pass allows <\/span>two motorcycles<\/span><\/a> if \u201cthe two people who sign the Pass arrive at the same time on two motorcycles, regardless of the number of people on each motorcycle.\u201d<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Annual Senior Pass<\/b><\/a> (<\/span>any U.S. citizen or permanent resident age 62 or older<\/span><\/a>) costs $20 and <\/span>admits<\/span><\/a> the pass owner and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle (or pass owner + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, where per-person fees are charged) for 12 months from the month of purchase, expiring on the last day of that month.\u00a0 The Senior Pass also covers <\/span>1 motorcycle<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Up to 4 Annual Senior Passes \u201c<\/span>purchased in consecutive years<\/span><\/a>\u201d <\/span>may be exchanged<\/span><\/a> at any time for a Lifetime Senior Pass.\u00a0 The name of the account holder will be <\/span>printed on the card<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 The Senior Pass is <\/span>nontransferable<\/span><\/a>, and photo identification will be requested to verify pass ownership.\u00a0 Unlike the Annual Pass, the Senior Pass also provides the pass owner with a <\/span>discount<\/span><\/a> on Expanded Amenity Fees (such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and guided tours) at many sites.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Animations by Tom Fabre<\/a> on LottieFiles<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Lifetime Senior Pass<\/b><\/a>\u00a0 (<\/span>any U.S. citizen or permanent resident age 62 or older<\/span><\/a>) costs $80 and admits the pass owner and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle (or pass owner + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, where per-person fees are charged).\u00a0 The Senior Pass also covers <\/span>1 motorcycle<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 The name of the account holder will be <\/span>printed on the card<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 The Senior Pass is <\/span>nontransferable<\/span><\/a>, and photo identification will be requested to verify pass ownership.\u00a0 Unlike the Annual Pass, the Senior Pass also provides the pass owner with a <\/span>discount<\/span><\/a> on Expanded Amenity Fees (such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and guided tours) at many sites.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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3.\u00a0 Make Any Necessary National Park Entry or Tour Reservations Before Finalizing Your Itinerary<\/b><\/h2>
Third, it is important to consider whether entry or tour reservations will be necessary or desirable before finalizing your national park itinerary.<\/span><\/p>
In addition to your park entrance fee or pass, some national parks require a ticketed entry reservation on <\/span>Recreation.gov<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Some national parks also offer a limited number of tickets for tours that need to be reserved and\/or purchased in advance on <\/span>Recreation.gov<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
Because some of those reservations need to be made <\/span>months in advance<\/span> of your trip, you should consult each individual park\u2019s <\/span>National Park Service<\/span><\/a> webpage and\u00a0 <\/span>Recreation.gov<\/span><\/a> for specific details regarding entrance fees, pass acceptance, entry\/tour reservations, and opening\/closing dates and times before finalizing your itinerary.\u00a0 <\/span>This list of parks<\/span><\/a> (sorted by name or state) or <\/span>this National Park Index<\/span><\/a> (sorted by name, activity, topic, or state) might also help your itinerary planning.<\/span><\/p>
<\/b>4.\u00a0 Buy Your National Park Pass In Person, Online, or By Phone\/Mail<\/b><\/h2>
Fourth, if buying a National Parks Pass makes the most financial sense, you need to confirm that the national parks that you will be visiting will accept the pass and then decide whether you\u2019ll buy it in person, online, or by phone\/mail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In Person<\/b>:\u00a0 The fastest and cheapest way to buy your National Parks Pass is in person.\u00a0 You can purchase all of the passes in the <\/span>America the Beautiful<\/span><\/i>\u2014<\/span><\/i>The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series<\/span><\/i> at staffed park entrance stations, but not all passes are offered or available at every location so take a look at <\/span>this list<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>this pdf<\/span><\/a> and then call ahead to confirm availability.\u00a0 The regular <\/span>Annual Pass can also be purchased in REI stores<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul>
Online<\/b>:\u00a0 You can order Annual and Senior Passes online at <\/span>the USGS store<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span>As of this writing, the USGS store advises against ordering a pass online\u00a0<\/span>without <\/span>expedited shipping\u00a0<\/span><\/a>unless your trip is <\/span>4 or more weeks away<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 There is <\/span>a <\/span>$5.00 handling charge<\/span><\/a> for all online USGS store orders.\u00a0 Senior passes purchased online are also subject to an additional <\/span>$10 processing fee<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The regular Annual Pass can also be purchased online at <\/span>REI<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Recreation.gov<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/li><\/ul>
By Phone<\/b>: \u00a0 You can order the Annual Pass <\/span>by phone<\/span><\/a> by calling 888-ASK USGS (1-888-275-8747), extension 2. Their hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mountain Time.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>
By Mail<\/b>:\u00a0 You can purchase a Senior Pass through the mail using <\/span>this application<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Senior passes purchased through the mail are also subject to an additional <\/span>$10 processing fee<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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To obtain a Senior Pass, you must have <\/span>photo identification<\/span><\/a> to verify that you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident 62 years of age or older, which could include a U.S. State or Territory issued <\/span>Driver\u2019s License<\/span><\/a>, Identification or Birth Certificate; a <\/span>U.S. Passport<\/span><\/a> or Passport Card; and\/or a Permanent Resident Card (<\/span>Green Card<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>
Based on my online research and without knowing your specific details, it is my opinion that your best bet would be to buy an Annual Senior Pass for $20 that would admit both you and your wife in your vehicle.\u00a0 You can decide later if it makes sense to exchange it for a Lifetime Senior Pass.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>
Instead of wasting money and time ordering online or through the mail, you can consult <\/span>this list<\/span><\/a> to see if the first national park that you\u2019ll be visiting can sell you a senior pass and then call ahead to confirm availability.\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget to bring photo identification establishing your <\/span>age and residency<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
For those readers who are not traveling with a senior, it generally makes sense to purchase a single <\/span>Annual Pass<\/span><\/a> for $80 if you will be visiting 3 or 4 national parks within a 12-month period in a single non-commercial vehicle<\/span>.\u00a0 Just add up the entrance fees using <\/span>this <\/span>list of entrance fees by park<\/span><\/a> to confirm that a single $80 pass will be less expensive.<\/span><\/p>
Don\u2019t forget to determine <\/span>whether park entry or tour reservations are necessary or desirable before finalizing your itinerary.<\/span><\/p>
Thanks again for the question, and enjoy your trip!<\/span><\/p>
Amy\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Do you need a national park book for your trip?\u00a0 I thought that these looked good:<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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