I've been traveling full-time since Nov 2010. Since then I've visited most of the major national parks in the contiguous 48 states. And because I'm older than 61 my costs for entering those parks has been zero. That's right! Because I bought a Golden Age Pass in 1995 when I was 62+, I have been able to take advantage of one of the best bargains Congress has ever provided for us seniors.
Furthermore, I paid half-price while camping at campgrounds maintained by the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. However, if the campground is run by a contractor or concessionaire, there is usually no 50% discount. The camping fee at Pinnacles Natl Monument in California, where the photo to the right was taken, jumped from $5 in 2006 to $37 in 2010.
As of 1 Jan 2007 the Golden Age Pass, while still honored, is no longer being issued; it has been replaced by what is now called the Senior InterAgency Pass or the Senior Pass of the "America the Beautiful Pass Program." Here are the requirements as listed on the first link below.
- Available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are age 62 or older
- A Photo ID
- A one-time charge of $10 for this lifetime pass. The pass provides free entrance to most federal recreation areas and provides a 50% discount on use fees, such as camping fees. [Note: the two National Recreation Areas I've visited, Armistad near Del Rio, Texas, and Flaming Gorge on the Utah/Wyoming border, are each run by one of the five government agencies above and honor Senior Passes.]
Because it'a a fairly long drive from where I am now in San Angelo to Armistad Natl Recreation Area, Guadalupe Mtns Natl Park, or Big Bend Natl Park in order to buy a Senior Pass I'd suggest you locals obtain one online or by mail from either the Army Corps of Engineers (1st link below) or the U.S. Geological Survey (2d link below).
If you live in the west or near the Applachians, there's likely a U.S. Forest Service Ranger Station within a reasonable driving distance. The 3d link below is an example of the USFS website for Ashley Natl Forest. [N.B. Forest or Districts within a Forest are more likely issue Senior Passes than are temporary stations only manned during the fire season.]
Links:
- Corps of Engineers information on the Golden Age Pass
- USGS Senior Pass Overview
- Ashley National Forest Recreation Passes & Permits
Routes:
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Problem getting Blogger to display previous [Actual] Routes
- T 10 May Actual Route: I-10 bd - Lordsburg Pilot - San Simon - Willcox, AZ - Sagebrush RV Pk
- W 11 May Actual Route: Sagebrush RV Pk - P.O. - Willcox Lib - Sagebrush RV Pk
- Th 12 May Actual Route: Sagebrush RV Pk - P.O. - Benson - W/M - McD's - Love's Truck Stop bd
- F 13 May Actual Route: Love's Truck Stop bd - W/M - Benson Public Lib - Love's Truck Stop bd
- Sa 14 May Actual Route: Love's Truck Stop bd - W/M - Goodwill - Benson Public Lib - Love's Truck Stop bd
- Su 15 May Actual Route: Love's Truck Stop - W/M - Goodwill - Benson Public Lib - Love's Truck Stop
- M 16 May Actual Route: Love's Truck Stop - W/M - P.O. - Benson Public Lib - Love's Truck Stop
- T 17 May Actual Route: Love's Truck Stop - P.O. - Benson Public Lib - W/M - Love's Truck Stop
- W 18 May Actual Route: Love's Truck Stop - P.O. - D.A.V - Lib - W/M - Lib - Love's Truck Stop
- Th 19 May Route: Love's Truck Stop - Lib - W/M - - Lib - Love's Truck Stop
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Finding Campgrounds:
- RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
- Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
- Free campsites website
- Info on finding BLM Campgrounds
