If you're over the age of 62, you're going to want to nab your lifetime pass to our country's National Parks ASAP.
At just $10, the National Park Service's lifetime pass for seniors is one of the best deals out there—but not for long. On August 28, the price of the pass will jump to $80 in order to help fund projects and visitor services throughout the U.S. National Park system, as part of the National Park Service Centennial Act.
This is the first time the National Parks Service has raised the fees on the senior pass since 1994, according to the American Association of Retired Persons. For the next few weeks only, Americans who are over the age of 62 can still get their lifetime pass for $10 in person at any of the parks, or for $20 online (heads up, though—according to SF Gate, so many orders have come in, that there's now a waiting period of over two months, meaning your best bet is to go in person to any federal recreation site that issues passes).
Don't turn 62 for a few years? Despite the fee hike, $80 is still quite a deal for a lifetime pass, the National Parks Service thinks. "We don't want anyone to feel blindsided and say, 'Why didn't anyone tell us about this?' " NPS spokeswoman Kathy Kupper told AARP. "We don't know whether we'll get any pushback. [The higher fee] is still a great deal."
Not even close to turning 62? These passes admit the pass owner plus three adults at parks where per-person fees are charged, so maybe it's time to finally start planning that National Parks trip you've been talking about for years with your mom and dad.
