Passes
Seasonal Day Use Pass
For frequent visitors to day use recreation areas on the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, this pass allows for unlimited visits to the sites listed below. The pass is in the form of a hang-tag for your vehicle rear-view mirror, to be displayed while visiting the area. The pass covers the fee for day use, only.
- Bark Camp Day Use Area
- Bolar Mountain Day Use Area
- Brandywine Day Use Area
- Cascades Day Use Area
- Cave Mountain Lake Day Use Area
- Cave Springs Day Use Area
- Coles Point Day Use Area
- Crabtree Falls Day Use Area
- Fortney Branch Boat Launch
- High Knob Day Use Area
- North Fork of the Pound
- Phillips Creek Day Use Area
- Sherando Lake Day Use Area
- Todd Lake Day Use Area
The pass is in the form of a hang-tag for your vehicle rear-view mirror, to be displayed while visiting the area. The pass covers the fee for day use, only.
The Seasonal Day Use Passes are available for $30 at George Washington & Jefferson National Forests District offices as well as the Sherando Lake, Cave Mountain Lake and Bolar Mountain entrance stations. The passes can also be purchased by mail or in person from the North River, Glenwood-Pedlar, Eastern Divide, James River Warm Springs, and Clinch Ranger Districts. Please contact a District office to arrange purchase by mail.
America the Beautiful Pass Series
The America the Beautiful Interagency Pass series is valid at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites and includes the interagency senior pass, access pass, 4th grade pass, military annual and lifetime passes and annual pass.
On the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, America the Beautiful Interagency Passes fully cover day use fees only at:
- Cascades Recreation Area
- Crabtree Falls Day Use Area
- High Knob Day Use Area
- Cave Springs Day Use Area
- Phillips Creek Day Use Area
When visiting these sites, please complete the information on the fee envelope with your pass number, and display your pass on the dashboard of your vehicle with the fee envelope receipt.
In addition to free access to certain day use areas, the interagency senior pass and the interagency access pass provide a 50% discount to standard site camping fees (not hook ups) and day use fees, including ​developed boat ramps and swimming areas. Sites managed by a concessionaire may or may not honor this pass.
Learn more about the different kinds of interagency passes and pricing on the Forest Service recreation pass website.
Purchase an America the Beautiful pass at most Forest Service District offices or online at the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Fee Free Days
Fees are waived at some recreation sites on the following days in 2025:
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 20, 2025
- National Get Outdoors Day June 14, 2025
- Juneteenth June 19, 2025
- National Public Lands Day September 27, 2025
- Veterans Day November 11, 2025
On the fee free days, fees are waived at these sites:
- Cascades Recreation Area
- Crabtree Falls Day Use Area
- High Knob Day Use Area
- Cave Springs Day Use Area
- Phillips Creek Day Use Area
Learn more about fee free days on the Forest Service Passes and Permits page.