Price of parks' Senior Pass goes to $80 Monday

Havre Daily News staff

The price of a lifetime Senior Pass to the nation’s national parks is going to go up eight timesnext week, with the price, $10 since 1994, hitting $80 as of Monday.

National Park Service says the increase, included in legislation passed by Congress in December, will be used to enhance the visitor experience in the parks.

The Senior Pass is a one-time lifetime fee, giving entrance to the 118 of the 417 national parks that charge a fee — which include Glacier and Yellowstone national parks — to people 62 or older who purchase the pass.

The new system allows senior citizens to buy an annual Senior Pass for $20, giving entrance to any park for one year. People who purchase four annual Senior Passes can then trade them in for the lifetime benefit.

Senior Passes are nonrefundable and nontransferable, and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.

Annual and lifetime Senior Passes provide access to more than 2,000 recreation sites managed by six federal agencies:

• National Park Service

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• Bureau of Land Management

• Bureau of Reclamation

• U.S. Forest Service

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The passes cover entrance and standard amenity (day-use) recreation fees and provide discounts on some expanded amenity recreation fees.

Traveling companions with the owner of a Senior Pass also can enter for free. The Senior Passes admit pass owner/s and passengers in a noncommercial vehicle at per-vehicle fee areas and pass owner plus three adults, not to exceed four adults, where per-person fees are charged. Children under 16 are always admitted free. Also, at many sites, the Senior Passes provide the pass owner only a discount on expanded amenity fees such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and guided tours.

Senior Passes can be purchased at any federal recreation site, including national parks, that charges an entrance or standard amenity, day-use, fee. Proof of age and residency is required.

The passes are available at the Havre BLM office at 3990 U.S. Highway 2 West.

Passes can also be purchased online or through the mail from USGS; an additional $10 processing fee will be added to the price. People can visit the USGS storeAT https://store.usgs.gov/senior-pass to buy the pass online or find instructions for purchasing by mail.