Why It Does Matter Where You Buy Your National Park Service 'America The Beautiful' Pass

For those looking to explore the most underrated national parks in America, there's no better way than purchasing an "America the Beautiful" pass. This annual interagency pass gives you access to over 2,000 recreation areas managed by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This pass is a good way to bypass high national park fees like the ones imposed on international travelers, and there are a number of ways you can purchase it.

You can buy it online from Recreation.gov or USGS.gov, where you can order digital or physical passes. Digital ones are delivered immediately (and include the option of receiving a physical copy for an extra $7.50, available only for U.S. mailing addresses), while physical passes can take up to three weeks to be delivered. You can also buy a pass in person from most places managed by these agencies; find a list of on-site locations here. Finally, some outdoor retailers like L.L. Bean and REI sell these passes both online and in-store, although at the time of writing, neither has them available.

The difference between these options is about where the fees go. When you buy a pass from Recreation.gov or USGS.gov, proceeds go towards the maintenance and enhancement of recreation services of sites nationwide, meaning things like repairs and accessibility. Purchasing one in person at a recreation area means that at least 80% of the fee will go directly to that location, while the rest goes to sites that don't collect fees. By comparison, retailers like REI donate 10% of your purchase to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. 

So, if you have a favorite recreation area and want to support it directly, buying an America the Beautiful (or any) pass on-site is a great way to do so, particularly since the current administration is trying to slash national park funding like no other time in history. The Senate rejected those $1 billion cuts in 2026, but national parks remain vulnerable to the president's disregard for nature and conservation efforts, making on-site purchases of passes that much more crucial.

If you're wondering if the America the Beautiful pass is right for you, consider how many sites you plan to visit per year. It covers one private vehicle fee or four per-person fees, depending on the location. The pass currently costs $80 for U.S. citizens and $250 for non-U.S. citizens, as part of the Trump administration's "America first" pricing system. Seniors (62 and older) can buy a discounted annual pass for $20 or a lifetime one for $80, while military personnel and those with permanent disabilities can get passes for free.

The America the Beautiful pass is valid for 12 months through the end of the same month of purchase. So, if you buy it on April 1, 2026, it's valid until April 30, 2027. In 2026, a new design of the pass was revealed: the typical nature image has been replaced with one of Donald Trump next to George Washington. The change sparked controversy and resistance by some, who have chosen to cover the current president's face with stickers. However, the National Park Service officially doesn't accept "defaced" or altered passes, and even if the image is uncovered, if there's a residue left from a sticker previously on it, it may not be accepted.