I usually discard my junk emails from REI if I'm not in the mood to buy. However, the email I got this week had an item I must get. They are offering a National Park Pass at a 20% discount. I'm going to head by tomorrow to see if I can buy it in person or if I have to get it online. Either way, $40 for the pass is a smoking deal! Here's some of the text from the email:
At REI, we love our national parks—the scenery, the history, the amazing landscapes. So we've come up with a way to share the love. In partnership with the National Park Foundation, REI is offering the National Parks Pass (a $50 value) to our Co-op members for just $39.99! The pass, valid for 12 months, covers all entry fees at National Parks. Offer ends 9/2/02.
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."
~ Mark Twain
That deal on the Parks Pass is a genuine "sure thing!" You can't lose.
If you visit the Grand Canyon only twice in the next 12 months, you break even. Every National Park property visit after that is P-R-O-F-I-T!
Parks have become quite pricey. The "majors" are ALL $20 a pop.
Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Yosemite. And you'll save some decent pocket change on the small parks too like Montezuma Castle where it's three bucks a car.
Here's some thoughts:
If you aren't going to visit Grand Canyon for awhile, hold off buying the pass as late as you can because the 12 months of validity starts from the last day of the month of your purchase. In other words, if you buy on April 1, 2002, the pass actually expires April 30, 2002. It's in effect a 13-month pass if purchased that way.
Get a second signature on the pass. Susun and I both signed for the pass when we purchased it. These days EVERY park is "carding" us. In other words, the pass alone isn't enough to get us in the park--they want to see photo ID, too. Some of the parkies are real jerks about it, too. We might be going into the same park through the same entrance station for several days in a row. And the SAME person will demand to see a photo ID day after day after day. Get's real old real quick. So if you are the only signature on the pass, you're the ONLY person who can use it.
Something to think about.
Anyway, in these days of proliferating and escalating fees, the parks pass is a genuine sure thing and WELL worth your fifty bucks.
J&S near the Consumnes River in rural Sacramento County
With then-President Obama having signed the National Park Service Centennial Act into law, the price of a senior pass to the national parks, good for your lifetime, will jump to $80 on 10/1/2017. If you're 62 or older and don't yet have your pass, buy it now for $10 at a Federal Recreation site ($20 online) before the price increases.
Rec Sites: https://store.usgs.gov/pass/PassIssuanceList.pdf
Also, buried in the bill ( https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-con ... -bill/4680 )is "The bill requires Interior and USDA to make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available for no additional cost, if the individual provides evidence that he or she has purchased a 12-month pass for each of the four previous years. (Don't know if your 4 years 'resets' after a free one, or?)
Last edited by hikeaz on Apr 06 2017 6:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
Yep.. and 70 more reasons to be sure you don't LOSE it....
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
hikeaz wrote:if the individual provides evidence that he or she has purchased a 12-month pass for each of the four previous years. (Don't know if your 4 years 'resets' after a free one, or?)
Buy 4 get 1 free. Year 6 you pay again because you can't provide evidence that you purchased a pass the previous year.
hikeaz wrote:if the individual provides evidence that he or she has purchased a 12-month pass for each of the four previous years. (Don't know if your 4 years 'resets' after a free one, or?)
Buy 4 get 1 free. Year 6 you pay again because you can't provide evidence that you purchased a pass the previous year.
Yes- I surmised that as well, but have not found any citation yet. And I know how some folks get when the source is not cited. What if you earned a lifetime pass after buying 4 years' worth!?
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
cactuscat wrote:About time they raised the price on that thing! It's still a great deal.
I agree. I think that whole lifetime pass for the seniors is pumpkin backwards. They really should have a low cost pass for the young to get them outdoors more.
@rcorfman
I whole-heartedly agree! Most of us old farts can afford it, it's the family with a passel of kids trying to make vacation memories that needs the break. And if NPS is trying to expand their constituency they need to make it easy for the next generation to see what Parks are all about.
Shawn
The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see.
Received the following email this morning from the Western Slope No-Fee Coalition:
"Dear Public Lands Supporter,
The National Park Service says the effective date for an 800% increase in the price of a lifetime Senior Pass has been set for August 28, not October 1 as previously announced. ACT NOW!
Below is the article we issued when the increase was first approved, updated with new developments.
SENIOR PASS PRICE SKYROCKETING
On Tuesday December 6, 2016, in the lame duck session of Congress, the House passed by unanimous consent a bill (HR 4680) that will eliminate the $10 lifetime Senior Pass (formerly Golden Age Pass) which has been available to citizens and permanent residents age 62 and older since 1965.
In the early hours of Saturday morning December 10, in a nearly empty Senate chamber - most members having already left for the holidays - the Senate approved the House bill by unanimous consent. It was signed by President Obama before he left office.
The lifetime pass will track with the price of the annual America the Beautiful Pass. That price is currently $80 but can be changed at any time by the federal land management agencies, without further legislation.
For those who prefer an installment plan, a new "Senior Annual" pass will also be established at a price of $20, good for one year from the date of purchase. Four consecutive Senior Annual passes can be exchanged for a lifetime pass.
While there have been a multitude of bills introduced (and programs authorized) aimed at giving new groups free or reduced-cost access to the public lands - 4th Graders, military families, those with disabilities, veterans, volunteers - it is difficult to understand why Congress has taken this opportunity to reduce a long-standing benefit to seniors. The $20-$35 million in anticipated additional revenue (depending on whose estimate you choose) will make little dent in the Park Service's claimed maintenance backlog of $12 BILLION.
All of this was done in the guise of celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service, although why making the Parks more expensive to visit constitutes a "celebration" remains a mystery.
BENEFITS
The benefits of the Senior Pass include entrance to all National Parks and Wildlife Refuges that charge entrance fees, for the passholder and everyone accompanying them in the same vehicle. Where an NPS unit or a Refuge charges a per-person fee, the passholder can bring in three companions age 16 or older. (Those under age 16 are free anyway.) The Senior Pass also covers Standard Amenity Fees at most Forest Service, BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, and Army Corps of Engineers sites. In addition, Senior passholders are entitled to a 50% discount on campground fees for the site they occupy, including any younger friends and family members who accompany them.
These benefits are grandfathered- (and grandmothered-) in for existing passholders. So if you have attained the age of 62 and have not yet purchased your lifetime Senior Pass, you should do it IMMEDIATELY. Passes are sold at National Parks, Forest Service, BLM and Bureau of Reclamation offices, National Wildlife Refuges, and Army Corps of Engineers recreation sites. Passes can be purchased online at the USGS Store, but online purchases will incur a $10 service charge in addition to the (for now) $10 price of the pass. Your pass is good for the rest of your life unless lost or stolen. Many people buy an extra to keep in a safe place. Doing so at this time is something to consider because buying a replacement in the future could cost you much more.
ACT QUICKLY!
The price increase is going to take effect on August 28, 2017. That's well ahead of the previously announced effective date of October 1. So if you are going to attain age 62 before August 28, don't wait - it will cost you eight times more after that date!
IMHO this is still a pretty good lifetime deal at $80. The above clarifies the "buy 4, get 1 free" discussion earlier in this thread. Actually it is a 4 year installment plan - buy 4 and get the lifetime pass for "free".
hikeaz wrote:if the individual provides evidence that he or she has purchased a 12-month pass for each of the four previous years. (Don't know if your 4 years 'resets' after a free one, or?)
Buy 4 get 1 free. Year 6 you pay again because you can't provide evidence that you purchased a pass the previous year.
It appears that the BFGO plan is for SENIOR passes, acting as a sort-of installment plan for those 62+.
"For those who prefer an installment plan, a new "Senior Annual" pass will also be established at a price of $20, good for one year from the date of purchase. Four consecutive Senior Annual passes can be exchanged for a lifetime pass."
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
Widowmaker wrote:Wow now I am confused. I bought a senior pass on Father's day weekend for $11. And it reads lifetime pass.
You beat the deadline for the price increase. Just do not lose that card and it will be good as long as you live (or they change the rules). Lose it and need a replacement after August 2017? It would be either $20 for a one-year senior pass or $80 for a replacement lifetime one.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
Widowmaker wrote:Wow now I am confused. I bought a senior pass on Father's day weekend for $11. And it reads lifetime pass.
The current price for the lifetime pass is $10. Don't know why you were charged $11 unless you bought it from a vendor who charges an additional fee.
Better than online..(I don't think the gubment gets the whole 'online thing ')
To buy the senior pass online is $20. $10 for the card, $5 for the 'online convenience fee' and $5.00 'handling'.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
I can't say that I wish I were old enough to get in before the increase, but it's frustrating even so. They probably won't even have a program when I reach that age.
What if you earned a lifetime pass after buying 4 years' worth!? 
')
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