We all enjoy free stuff and if you’re on this site then you also enjoy being outside and having fun. You can have both! Here are a few ideas for getting into parks for free:

  1. Check out a state park pass from the library. In many areas passes are available for check out from your local library. Georgia, Wasatch County Utah, Colorado, for example. Ask your librarian.
  2. Free entrance days. Only some National Parks charge a fee (i.e. Grand Canyon) but all National parks are free on these days: MLK Day, Veterans Day, National Public Lands Day (September 22), and the first day of Public Lands Week.
  3. Have a fourth grader at home? Children in fourth grade are eligible for a free park pass. Your kid has to do a little bit of work but the pass is free and its good for the whole family.
  4. Are you in the military? Members of the Armed Forces, to include Reserves and National Guard, are eligible for a free pass to federal sites that charge entrance fees (Army Corps of Engineers, National Parks, National Forest, etc) If its outdoor, federal and charges an entrance fee this pass will get you in. Just show your military ID at one of these sites. Note that this covers only the entrance fee.
  5. Volunteer! After 250 hours of volunteering with participating federal agencies you can get a free pass to outdoor recreation areas. More info here.