America the Beautiful Pass: Cost, What It Covers and Where to Buy It

The America the Beautiful pass is the annual pass to America's federal lands. One card gets you into every national park that charges an entrance fee, plus national forests, wildlife refuges, Bureau of Land Management sites and Army Corps of Engineers lakes. For anyone visiting more than two big parks in a year, it pays for itself.

In 2026 the pass got a separate, higher price for visitors who don't live in the US. Here is what each version costs, what it covers, and how to get one in hand before your trip.

How much the pass costs in 2026

Ordering a physical card by mail from the USGS Store adds a $7.50 handling fee. Senior and Access passes ordered that way also carry a $5 processing fee, and military passes a $10 processing fee. Buying in person or as a digital pass avoids both.

The free and discounted passes have their own rules and paperwork. We cover them in our guides to the senior national park pass and free national park passes.

What the pass covers

The pass covers entrance fees and standard amenity (day-use) fees at sites run by six federal agencies:

• National Park Service
• US Forest Service
• Bureau of Land Management
• US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Bureau of Reclamation
• US Army Corps of Engineers

How many people one pass gets in depends on how the site charges:

• Per-vehicle sites (most big national parks): the pass holder and everyone riding with them in one private, non-commercial vehicle.
• Per-person sites: the pass holder plus up to three more adults, four adults in total. Children under 16 are free.
• A second car needs its own pass or pays the entrance fee.

The pass belongs to the person who signs the back, and that person must be there and show photo ID. It can't be transferred, refunded, or replaced if you lose it.

What it doesn't cover

This is where most people get caught out. The pass does not pay for:

• Camping. Campground fees are separate everywhere. Only the Senior and Access passes list a discount on some camping fees, and not every site offers it.
• Timed-entry and reservation fees. Parks with timed-entry systems still require the reservation; the pass only covers the entrance fee once you have one.
• Tours, special recreation permits and organized group fees.
• Anything run by a concessioner, such as lodges, boat tours or private campgrounds inside a park.
• State and local parks. The pass is federal only.

If you're planning to camp on public land for free, the pass isn't needed at all for most dispersed camping on national forest and BLM land, which charges no entrance fee in the first place.

Is the $80 pass worth it?

Many large parks charge $30 to $35 per vehicle for a 7-day visit. A few examples from the parks' own fee pages:

Three of those visits in one year cost $105 at the gate, so the $80 pass comes out ahead from the third park on. A road trip through southern Utah and northern Arizona can pass that point in a single week.

Before buying, check whether a park-specific pass suits you better. Zion, Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain each sell their own annual pass for $70, and the Southeast Utah Parks pass ($55) covers Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and Hovenweep. Those park passes are for US citizens and residents only. If you live near one park and visit it often, those are cheaper. If you travel, the America the Beautiful pass is the better deal.

Visiting from abroad: the 2026 rules

Since January 1, 2026, visitors who don't live in the US pay more:

• The Non-Resident Annual Pass costs $250. It covers the holder and everyone in one private vehicle (up to 15 passengers), two motorcycles, or the holder plus three people aged 16 and over at per-person sites.
• Nonresidents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person at 11 parks: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. That fee is on top of the entrance fee, and it doesn't apply if you hold an Annual or America the Beautiful pass.
• Free entrance days are now for US citizens and residents only.

For a family of two adults visiting several of those 11 parks, the $250 pass is far cheaper than paying $100 per adult at each gate.

Free entrance days in 2026

Parks that charge an entrance fee waive it for US citizens and residents on these dates. Timed-entry and reservation fees still apply.

• February 16: Presidents Day
• May 25: Memorial Day
• June 14: Flag Day
• July 3–5: Independence Day weekend
• August 25: National Park Service birthday
• September 17: Constitution Day
• October 27: Theodore Roosevelt's birthday
• November 11: Veterans Day

Where to buy the pass

You have three options:

1. In person. More than 1,000 federal recreation sites sell passes, including most national park entrance stations and visitor centers. This is the method the Park Service recommends, and you leave with the card.
2. Digital, on Recreation.gov. Saved to your phone and usable immediately. This is the fastest option if your trip is close.
3. By mail from the USGS Store. A physical card for an extra $7.50 handling. Delivery can take up to three weeks, and the order receipt doesn't work as a pass while you wait.

Whichever you choose, sign the back of a physical card as soon as you get it. An unsigned pass isn't valid.

Where the pass works

The pass works at any fee-charging site of the six agencies above. The Park Service publishes entrance fees by park, which shows every national park the pass gets you into, and a list of places to pick up a pass. In practice the pass covers:

• Every national park that charges an entrance fee.
• National forest day-use areas that charge a standard amenity fee, such as some trailheads and picnic areas.
• BLM, Fish and Wildlife and Reclamation sites with day-use fees.
• Corps of Engineers lakes with day-use fees.

Some sites in these systems are run by private operators who don't accept the pass. If a fee booth or website says "concessioner," expect to pay separately.