The Senior Discount That Can Save You Money On National Park Visits

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According to the National Park Service (NPS), six agencies — the NPS, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — manage over 2,000 recreational sites across the country. Not all of them charge entrance fees, but many of the ones that do offer U.S. citizens and permanent residents aged 62 and up the ability to save a significant amount of money when visiting them by purchasing an interagency pass. The annual Senior Pass covering all these sites costs $20, with a lifetime Senior Pass coming in at $80. While neither of these would create huge savings all at once, the more places you visit, the more value they offer.

Here's an example: Without the pass, one visit to California's Yosemite National Park would cost you $20 if you're walking or biking into the grounds. Driving a private vehicle in would cost $35, while arriving in a commercial sedan can cost anywhere from $45 to $125. While in California, you could also visit Sequoia National Park — where a standard pass costs between $20 and $35 per visit — and then pay between $15 and $30 to get into Death Valley. These fees add up over time, and it won't take many stops for that $80 pass to pay for itself. Once it does, you can add a ton of national parks to your list of budget vacation destinations in the U.S.

Receiving a senior discount for admittance is one step toward a cost-effective trip, but this discount won't make much of a difference if travel and lodging costs are too high. If you're flying to a site, booking a flight at the right time can help save you significant amounts of cash. According to Expedia, with reporting created in collaboration with the Airlines Reporting Corporation, Sunday is the most cost-effective day to book a flight, saving domestic travelers up to 6%. Month-wise, flying domestically in August can save people 12% over February prices. August can be an ideal time to visit the Denali National Park & Preserve in Alaska, with average daytime temperatures in the low 60s as autumn gets ushered into the Last Frontier. Taking advantage of senior discounts for hotels when visiting national parks can further reduce expenses. Currently, Hilton, Marriott, and Extended Stay America locations all offer discounts to older visitors, though each company has a different minimum age requirement.

Alternatively, some national parks offer cabins or lodges inside of the park. Even if official non-camping lodging accommodations aren't available — such as in Denali — you might be able to find lodging through private services or Vrbo that might be even more affordable than a hotel.