Passes
An Interagency Annual Pass may be your best value if you plan to visit federal lands across the nation often. You may also qualify for the Interagency Senior passes or Interagency Access Pass. Some passes require purchase while others are free. A list of all the available Interagency Passes and their costs can be found in the frequently asked questions below.
All passes are currently available for purchase online at USGS.gov. You can also purchase passes and claim discounted or free passes at some Sawtooth National Forest offices.
On the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, the concessionaire that operates recreation sites in the area honors all interagency Senior and Access passes. This entitles campers to a 50% discount for single family sites only. No other discounts are offered. For example, day use fees are not discounted.
Free Passes for 4th Graders
The Every Kid Outdoors pass provides free access to students and their guests to most federally managed lands and waters—including national forest, parks, wildlife refuges and marine sanctuaries. The pass is valid for the entire school year and grants free entry for fourth graders and three accompanying adults (or an entire car for drive-in parks) at more than 2,000 federally managed sites.
Interagency Pass Frequently Asked Questions
The National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass Program offers a suite of annual and lifetime passes, also known as interagency passes. These passes provide U.S. citizens and visitors an affordable and convenient way to access Federal recreation lands. Up to 100% of the Pass program's proceeds are used to improve and enhance visitor recreation services.
- Annual Pass ($80.00 - anyone 16 years and older can purchase)
- Senior-Lifetime Pass ($80.00 - valid for the lifetime of the pass owner; must be 62+ older, U.S. citizen, or a permanent resident)
- Senior-Annual Pass ($20 - valid for one year from month of purchase; must be 62+ older, U.S. citizen, or a permanent resident)
- Access Pass (Free- Valid for lifetime of the pass owner; must have medically determined permanent disability, U.S. citizens or permanent resident)
- Military-Lifetime Pass (Free– valid for lifetime of the pass owner; issued to Gold Star Families and Veterans with valid documentation; review Military-Lifetime Pass section below to see who qualifies and what documentation is required).
- Military-Annual Pass (Free – valid for one year from month of purchase; issued to current U.S. military and dependents with valid documentation; review Military-Annual Pass section to see who qualifies and what documentation is required).
- Volunteer Pass (Free – valid for one year from month of issue; earned with 250+ hours of volunteer service in public lands)
- Hangtags (used as way to display passes at areas without entrance booth staff)
- Annual Decals (for open-top vehicles to display at areas without entrance booth staff).
The passes are valid at more than 2,000 Federal recreation sites where entrance or day use fees are charged by the following agencies:
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – https://www.blm.gov
- Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) – https://www.usbr.gov
- Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) – https://www.fws.gov
- USDA Forest Service (USDA FS) – https://www.fs.usda.gov
- National Park Service (NPS) – https://www.nps.gov
- US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – https://www.usace.army.mil
- Not all Federal recreation sites charge entrance fees.
- Not all Federal recreation agencies participate in the program. For example, the Tennessee Valley Authority site does not issue the passes, yet they might honor the Senior and Access Passes for camping discounts. It's best to inquire locally at that the sites you intend to visit to determine how they honor the passes.
- Some facilities and activities on Federal recreation lands, like sites on the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, are managed by private concessionaires. The concessionaires charge for their services as any private company does, so they may or may not honor the passes.