The America The Beautiful Pass is an annual pass that gives you access to a plethora of National Park Sites including national monuments and a lot more. Is the America The Beautiful Pass worth the annual membership? I recently bought one and here’s what I think.

What Is The America The Beautiful Pass

The America The Beautiful pass is an annual pass issued by the National Park Service. For 2019 the annual pass is $80 and gives you unlimited access to any of the nation’s National Parks. In addition to National Park Access, the card comes with a plethora of other benefits and gives you access to sites managed by these as well:

  • All sites under the National Park Service including National Monuments and National Historic Parks
  • U.S. Forest Service
  • U.S Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Bureau Of Land Management
  • Bureau of Reclamation
  • U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers

Why I Got The America The Beautiful Pass

  • The America The Beautiful Pass easily pays for itself. In 2018 I hiked through three different national forests as well as visited seven different national parks.
  • San Diego is such a close driving distance to so many national park and national landmarks. Having the America The Beautiful Pass gives me a good excuse to visit these sites.
  • The America The Beautiful Pass is accepted at National Forests and there are a few noteworthy forests near me that I plan on hiking more of this year: the Cleveland National Forest, the San Bernardino National Forest, and Angeles National Forest.
  • The National Forests around Southern California require an Adventure Pass and the annual cost is $30.  For a multi-day pass to the National Parks I’m visiting this year, the cost would have been $79. For me, the benefits already outweigh the costs.
  • The America The Beautiful pass gives me an excuse to check out other places that I haven’t been where the card is accepted.

Is The America The Beautiful Pass For You?

I’d strongly consider it. There are so many places to access with this card. Also, by just having the card, you may be more inclined to visit more sites. I know I definitely feel that way.

Passes are available for purchase at these locations:  Pass Issuances.

For more information and for a list of all places the park is accepted visit the U.S. National Park Service.