The America The Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Lands Pass is an interagency annual pass. The pass gets you admission into over 2000 federally managed recreation areas, including the 63 National Parks.
The America the Beautiful pass covers day use or standard entry fees at these locations. Admission can be charged either per car or per person.
- Per car: the pass covers one standard passenger vehicle (the passholder must be present in the vehicle)
- Per person: the pass covers admission for the passholder plus 3 individuals
Additional fees such as boat tours, camping, and rentals are not covered. Some trails/areas may require separate permits.
The pass is valid for the month you purchased it, plus one year after that. So if you purchase it in April, your pass would be valid through April of the following year.
Purchasing a Pass
You can purchase the America the Beautiful Pass in two ways: in-person at a park or online.
Online is convenient, but it typically takes 2 weeks to arrive to you in the mail, plus there are about $8 in fees added to the cost.
In-person, the pass costs $80 flat and you can start using it right away. Here is a list of locations where you can purchase the pass.
Where to Use Your National Parks Pass in Florida
There are 11 National Park sites in Florida, with three being National Parks. Your America the Beautiful Pass will be good at all of these sites that have fees.
- Big Cypress National Preserve (free)
- Biscayne National Park (free)
- Canaveral National Seashore ($20 per car)
- Castillo de San Marcos National Monument ($15 per person)
- De Soto National Memorial (free)
- Dry Tortugas National Park ($15 per person)
- Everglades National Park ($30 per car)
- Fort Caroline National Memorial (free)
- Fort Matanzas National Monument (free)
- Gulf Islands National Seashore ($15 per person)
- Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve (free)
There are also many federally-managed parks and lands throughout Florida where your pass can be used. These include National Forests, Wildlife Refuges, Recreation Areas, and more. Not all of these places charge fees, and not all will accept the pass. Sometimes you get a discount on admission with the pass. So it’s best to check individual websites or speak to the rangers for the most accurate information.
How I Used My America the Beautiful Pass in One Year
Between March 2023 – March 2024 I visited:
- Everglades National Park ($30)
- Big Cypress National Preserve (no fee)
- Dry Tortugas National Park ($15 pp x2)
- Congaree National Park (no fee)
- Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historic Park ($10pp x2)
- Fort Matanzas National Monument (no fee)
- Castillo de San Marcos National Monument ($15pp x2)
- Crystal River National Preserve (saved $5)
- Zion National Park ($20pp x4)
- Bryce Canyon National Park ($35)
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area ($30)
- Grand Canyon National Park ($35)
Was it Worth It? + My Savings
My total savings for the year was $215 after subtracting the cost of the pass ($80). Although $215 for a year may not be a hugely significant savings, it’s definitely still a savings. And making a donation to our National Park Service in the form of a small entrance fee is never a bad thing.
Regardless, I think just knowing I had the pass inspired me to plan more National Park trips than I would have without the pass. For example, even though Congaree National Park has no fees, I honestly do not think I would’ve had it on my radar if I wasn’t already looking into planning more national park trips. I probably would not have planned to visit Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon National Parks so soon if I wasn’t trying to get one last trip in before my pass expired.
If you’re planning to visit at least three national parks in a year, I’d absolutely recommend getting the pass. It will pay for itself, and it might even inspire you to plan more national park trips and explore the sites in your area.
Will I Be Renewing My America the Beautiful Pass?
I won’t be renewing right away, because the next National Park trip I have planned right now is to Virgin Islands National Park, and that does not have any fees. However, I will be visiting two more national parks in the Fall, so I will definitely be renewing my pass then.
My goal is to visit all 63 National Parks and I’m making some progress with 8/63 checked off!
Planning &Tracking the National Parks You Visit
This section contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you.
I am a planner and a tracker through and through! That means I’m always doing plenty of research before any of my national park trips. We love this guidebook for great suggestions of the best things to see and do in each park. I also love to keep track of which parks I visit, and keep all my passport stamps in one place. You can either use an official National Parks Passport, or get a different adventure guide book that has space for journaling, pictures, stickers, and more! And, I’d definitely also recommend getting a National Parks water bottle, so you can bring it with you to all your national park adventures!
The information in this post was accurate at the time of publishing to the best of the author’s knowledge. If you are planning to visit any of the sites mentioned in this post, I recommend checking the most up-to-date information on the respective websites.
