Federal
Recreation Pass Programs
Federal
Recreation Fees Support
Our National Heritage
Entrance
and use fees for federal
lands are not only
used for conserving
our nation's land,
wildlife, waterways
and historical sites,
but are used to
develop, maintain and
improve visitor services
and recreation opportunities.
Download a printable version (in PDF format) of this guide to Federal Recreation Pass Programs:
First page of the Federal Recreation Pass Programs brochure (or in 8.5 by 11 format)
Second page of the Federal Recreation Pass Programs brochure (or in 8.5 by 11 format)
Pass
Program Name
|
What
Is It? Who
Is It For? |
Admits |
Honored
at / Coverage Includes: |
How
to Get One |
Golden
Eagle Passport
$65
Good for one year from date of purchase. |
Entrance
pass to Bureau
of Land Management
(BLM), Fish and
Wildlife Service
(FWS), Forest Service
(FS), and National
Park Service (NPS)
sites that charge
entrance fees.
General public.
|
Admits
the pass owner
and any accompanying
passengers in a
private vehicle.*
In those areas
where a per person
fee is charged,
the pass admits
the pass owner,
spouse, parents
and children.
|
Honored
at all BLM, FWS,
FS, NPS sites charging
fees for entrance
into federal recreation
areas which may
include developed
day use recreation
sites (i.e., picnic
sites, trailheads,
visitor centers,
parking and areas
of high public
use that may not
be highly developed).
** |
Most BLM, FWS,
and FS sites that
charge entrance
fees. Available
from the Forest
Service, call
(877) 465-2727
or at www.nationalforests.org or from the Bureau
of Land Management at (877) 851-8946 or at www.publiclands.org/goldeneagle/
|
National
Parks Pass
$50
Good for one year from date of purchase.
|
Entrance Pass to National Park Service (NPS) sites that charge entrance fees.
General public. |
Admits
the pass owner
and any accompanying
passengers in a
private vehicle.*
In those areas
where a per person
fee is charged,
the pass admits
the pass owner,
spouse, parents
and children. |
This
pass covers entrance
fees at National
Parks. |
Online
at hwww.nationalparks.org,
or call 1-888-GO-PARKS,
or at most national
parks. |
Golden Eagle
Sticker
$15
One year from date of National Parks Pass purchase. |
A sticker
can be purchased
and affixed to
a National Park
Service (NPS) Parks
Pass.
The National Parks
Pass with the Golden Eagle Sticker provides the same
benefit as the
Golden Eagle Passport.
General
public.
|
Must be affixed to National Parks Pass.
Admits the pass owner and any accompanying
passengers in a private vehicle. * In those
areas where a per person fee is charged, the
pass admits the pass owner, spouse, parents
and children. |
Coverage is the same as Golden Eagle Passport
when affixed to a National Parks Pass. |
Most BLM, FWS,
FS, or NPS sites
that charge entrance
fees. Available
through the Forest
Service, call (877) 465-2727
or at www.orders.com/nfs/requestinfo.cfm
or from the
Bureau of Land
Management at www.publiclands.org/goldeneagle/
or (877) 851-8946.
|
Golden
Age Passport
$10
Lifetime.
|
Entrance/discount
pass to Bureau
of Land Management
(BLM), Corps of
Engineers (Corps),
Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS),
Forest Service
(FS), National
Park Service (NPS),
and Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA)
sites that charge
entrance fees.
Citizens or permanent residents
of the U.S. who
are age 62 or older.
|
Admits
the pass owner
and any accompanying
passengers in a
private vehicle.*
In those areas
where a per person
fee is charged,
the pass admits
the pass owner,
spouse and children.
|
Same
benefits as Golden
Eagle Passport
and a 50% discount
at camping,
developed boat
launches and swimming
sites and for specialized
interpretive services.
Concessionaires
may honor Golden
Age / Access if
included in terms
of their current
permit.***, **** |
Purchase
it IN PERSON at
most BLM offices,
Corps, FWS, FS,
NPS sites, or TVA
Watershed Team
offices. Proof
of age must be
shown. |
Golden
Access Passport
Free
Lifetime.
|
Entrance and discount pass to Bureau of Land Management, Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, National Park Service, and Tennessee Valley Authority sites with entrance fees.
Citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. who are legally blind or permanently disabled. |
Admits the pass owner and any accompanying passengers in a private vehicle.* In those areas where a per person fee is charged, the pass admits the pass owner, spouse, and children. The pass also entitles other persons accompanying the holder such as a parent or care assistant. |
Same
benefits as Golden
Eagle and a 50%
discount at campgrounds,
developed boat
launches and swimming
sites and for specialized
interpretive services.
Concessionaires
may honor Golden
Age / Access if
included in terms
of their current
permit.***, **** |
Obtain
it IN PERSON at
most BLM offices,
Corps, FWS, FS,
NPS sites, or TVA
Watershed Team
offices. Proof
of medically determined
permanent disability
or eligibility
for receiving benefits
under federal law
must be shown. |
Corps
of Engineers
Annual Day Use
Pass
$30
The calendar year
in which it was
purchased.
|
A
pass for day use
facilities at any
Corps of Engineers
site during the
calendar year.
General
public.
|
Admits the pass
owner and any accompanying
passengers (up
to a total of 8
people) in a private
vehicle. |
Covers fees charged
for boat ramps
or swim beaches
at Corps sites.
The pass does not
cover camping fees
or fees for special
facilities such
as group picnic
shelters, multipurpose
courts, amphitheaters,
athletic complexes,
etc. |
Purchase
it at any Corps
site where day
use fees are charged.
The pass may also
be purchased through
the mail from most
Corps district
or lake offices.
To find a district
office, see www.usace.army.mil/divdistmap.html |
Federal
Duck Stamp
$15
July 1st through June 30th of the next year.
|
Mandatory
federal permit
for hunters 16
years and older
to hunt waterfowl.
Also serves as
an entrance pass
to national wildlife
refuges that charge
entrance fees.
General
public.
|
Admits
the pass owner
and any accompanying
passengers in a
private vehicle.*
In those areas
where a per person
fee is charged,
the pass admits
the pass owner,
spouse and children. |
Entrance
fees. |
May
be purchased at
post offices, many
national wildlife
refuges, the sporting
goods departments
at Wal-Mart or
other local sporting
goods stores, or
by calling the
Federal Duck Stamp
Office at: (703)
358-2000 Stamps
are also available
online at www.duckstamp.com |
NOTE:
Passes are not replaceable,
refundable, or transferable.
All passes except for
Golden Age Passports
and Golden Access Passports
may be purchased as gifts.
There may be site-specific
passes for a short
period (weekend/week),
season, or annual basis.
See the web page on
Recreation.gov for
details of fees for
each recreation site.
There are also regional
passes that cover
several sites within
a geographic area.
* A private vehicle
is defined as any non-commercial
vehicle that is being
used for private recreational
purposes.
** The Golden
Eagle Passport
does NOT
include overnight camping,developed
boat launches and swimming
sites, specialized
interpretive services
or concessionaire services,
however, concessionaires
may honor the Golden
Age/Access Passports
if included in the
terms of their current
permit.
*** In some cases where
per person fees are
charged, the 50% discount
will be given to the
pass owner
only: for
example, cave tours
or elevator services.
**** Golden Passports may not be valid
for fees related to facility or equipment
rental (cabins, lookouts, day/overnight
group sites), special conservation programs,
managed off highway vehicle
areas, optional transportation systems,
reservation services, specialized equipment
such as hookups for water, electricity,
cable, sewer, or sanitary dump
stations, or permits of any kind.
Authorized by Congress
The Land and Water Conservation Fund
Act (LWCFA), passed by Congress in
1965, and the Emergency Wetlands
Resources Act (EWRA), passed by
Congress in 1986, authorized federal
recreation fees in some national parks,
forests, wildlife refuges, and outdoor
recreation areas. In 1996 Congress
authorized the Recreational Fee
Demonstration Program (P.L. 104-34 and
its amendments). This legislation
allowed the National Park Service, Fish
and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land
Management and the Forest Service to
retain all or part of the fees at the site
where they were collected. The fees are
used for projects to improve visitor services,
protect cultural and natural
resources, address health and safety
maintenance, and to cover the cost of
collection. The authorization has been
extended several times and will expire
(now scheduled for December 31, 2005) unless Congress
reauthorizes it further or passes new legislation.
Bureau
of Land Management
Office of Public
Affairs
Room LS-406
U.S. Department
of the Interior
1849 C Street,
NW
Washington, DC
20240
www.blm.gov
|
|
Corps
of Engineers
HQUSAE
(CECW-ON)
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC
20314-1000
www.usace.army.mil
|
|
|
Fish and Wildlife
Service
National Wildlife
Refuge System
4401 N. Fairfax
Drive,
MS 670
Arlington, VA 22203
www.refuges.fws.gov
|
|
Forest Service
U.S. Department
of Agriculture
Auditors Building
201 14th Street,
SW
P.O. Box 96090
Washington, DC
20250
www.fs.fed.us
|
|
|
Federal Duck Stamp
Office
4401 N. Fairfax
Drive, MBSP - 4070
Arlington, VA 22203-1622
duckstamps.fws.gov
|
|
National Park Service
Office of Public
Inquiries
Room 7012
U.S. Department
of the Interior
1849 C Street,
NW
Washington, DC
20240
www.nps.gov
|
|
|
Tennesee Valley
Authority
TVA Recreation
Areas
P.O. Box 1589
Norris, TN 37828
www.tva.gov
|
|
|
|
NOTE: Licenses
to hunt and fish
are issued by the
states. For more
information on
specific state
fees and requirements
for hunting and
fishing licenses,
see the State
Fish and Wildlife
Agencies' License
Information and
Regulations
website.
You
may also be interested
in the links to
websites with information
about the Fees
and Entrance Passes
for State Parks.
|
|
|
Recreation
Fee Information: |
|
|
Bureau of Land Management Fee Information
Fish and Wildlife Service Fee Information
Forest Service Fee Information
National Park Service Fee Information
FY 2002 Annual Report to Congress
|
|
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