National Park pass – A fourth-grade privilege

Yellowstone National Park was the first named public park “for the people”. Since 1872, we have been adding national parks around the country so the land is conserved and it is available to be seen and explored by us all. There are so many parks I have never heard of, and never expected to visit them all. However, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.

We were excited to find out about the Every Kid Outdoors program that encourages fourth-grade students and their families to visit the parks by giving them an annual pass during their fourth-grade year. It was a pretty big deal and came with a sense of pride for our fourth-grader. If you do have a fourth-grader, I recommend making a big deal about filling out the form and taking the oath to help protect the parks.

After we showed the park pass to the rangers at the first few parks, most asked to see our fourth-grader and say hello. We started pulling up so he could greet the ranger, show the pass himself, receive the park maps and newspapers, and ask any questions we have as we enter the park. We’d often get a funny initial look from the ranger as we pulled up straight past the driver window, then they would realize that it was because the rear window was open with the pass-holder. He started a little nervous and shy, but after entering over 30 parks, he’s basically a pro now. The experience of forcing the spotlight on our shining fourth grader encouraged responsibility and ownership. It also really helped bring him out of his shell and encourage him to communicate with the ranger, as he was tasked with asking all of our park questions and responding to any from the ranger. In the beginning, we would prep him for the conversation a few miles out. But it didn’t take long for that need to go away.

If you don’t have a fourth-grader, there are many options for receiving the national park pass. If you are a veteran or current military professional (or their dependent), you can get an annual pass for free. If you are a senior citizen over 62 years old, you can get an $80 lifetime pass or a $20 annual pass. If you have a permanent disability, you are eligible to receive a free lifetime pass. If you don’t fit into any of the above categories, but you plan to visit a few national parks, you can simply purchase an annual pass for $80.