Parks to increase price for senior lifetime pass

For more than two decades, older Americans have been able spend $10 to access to the country’s national parks until the day they die. In August, the price for lifetime access will rise to $80.

The National Park Service announced this week the pass price increase for people 62 and older will go into effect Aug. 28.

The fee jump is a result of legislation approved by Congress in December aimed at providing the National Park Service with money to help chip away at a roughly $12 billion maintenance backlog.

The lifetime pass has cost $10 since 1994.

“People mark their 62nd birthday by going and getting the pass,” said Kathy Kupper, a spokesperson with the agency. “They’ve said it’s the best deal going and that they would pay more for it ... It’s still a great deal for $80.”

The pass gives its holder and typically people accompanying them access to more than 2,000 sites and parks across the country.

Last year Glacier National Park sold 13,718 senior passes, bringing in $137,180 to the park. In total, Glacier made more than $6 million from fees last year, according to park officials.

Kupper said $10 of the $80 senior pass will stay within the park in which the pass is sold. The remaining $70 will go into a fund for major maintenance projects at national parks and federal recreational lands nationwide.

The legislation mandating the increase was tied to the National Park Service centennial.

“In our feedback so far, some are happy to support the increase and of course others feel it’s a large jump and are concerned,” Kupper said.

Those who purchase the $10 pass before the fee increase Aug. 28 will be able to use them without an additional charge.

She said people who are concerned about the price can purchase a senior annual pass for $20. Those who buy that yearly pass for four years can trade them in for a lifetime pass.

Since the legislation was announced, the National Park Service has seen an unprecedented demand for the lifetime ticket.

In recent years, the agency has sold roughly 30,000 senior passes online annually. Kupper said so far this year they’ve sold 100,000 online.

She said processing mail or online orders could take several months because of the spike in requests.

“The easiest thing is to plan a trip to a nearby park and pick it up there since we have a big backlog right now,” Kupper said.

The senior pass can be used at sites managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Lifetime Golden Age or senior passes bought before the increase are still valid.

The pass can be purchased at a national park or other federal recreation area that charges an entrance fee. For more information and to buy the pass online or by mail for an additional $10 processing fee, go to https://store.usgs.gov/pass/senior_pass_application.pdf.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.