Free America the Beautiful Pass for Veterans and Gold Star Families

The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass is one of the best deals in outdoor recreation. It covers entrance fees and day-use fees at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. For veterans, active military, and Gold Star families, the pass is free.

Most veterans don't know it exists, or they assume it only covers national parks. It doesn't. It covers national parks, national forests, BLM land, Army Corps of Engineers recreation areas, Bureau of Reclamation sites, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service areas. Almost everywhere you want to go on federal public land, this pass applies.

Who Qualifies

Active duty military: Any current member of the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard) and their dependents. Active duty includes activated National Guard and Reserve members.

Veterans: Any person who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and was discharged or released under any condition other than dishonorable. There is no service length requirement. There is no combat service requirement. If you served and received an honorable, general, or other-than-honorable discharge, you qualify.

Gold Star families: Surviving family members of service members who died while on active duty. This eligibility was added in 2020 through the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. Before 2020, Gold Star families did not qualify. They do now.

What the Pass Covers

The pass covers entrance fees and standard amenity fees at federal recreation sites. In practical terms, this means:

• National park entrance fees (the standard $35 vehicle fee at places like Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon)
• Day-use parking fees at national forest trailheads (including the Northwest Forest Pass areas in Washington and Oregon)
• Entrance fees at BLM recreation areas
• Day-use fees at Army Corps of Engineers recreation areas
• Entrance at Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sites

The pass admits the pass holder and passengers in a single, non-commercial vehicle. For walk-in sites, it admits the pass holder plus three additional adults (children under 16 are always free).

What the Pass Does Not Cover

This is where people get surprised. The pass does not cover:

Camping fees. At the vast majority of campgrounds on federal land, including national park campgrounds and national forest campgrounds on Recreation.gov, you still pay the nightly camping fee. The pass covers the entrance gate, not the campsite.

Special recreation permit fees. Wilderness quota permit fees, lottery costs, and similar special permit fees are not covered. The $15 Mt. Whitney permit, the Enchantments lottery fee, the Desolation Wilderness per-person fee: none of these are covered by the pass.

Concessionaire-operated facilities. If a fee is collected by a private operator under a concession agreement (some campgrounds, some boat launches, some rec areas), the pass may not apply. Look for the federal fee station, not a private booth.

Transportation fees, parking fees at separate facilities, or guided tour fees. If Yosemite charges for a shuttle or a tour company charges for a ranger-led hike, the pass doesn't cover it.

How to Get the Pass

In person: Go to any staffed entrance station at a national park or national forest that collects fees. Ask for the military or veteran pass. For active duty, present a Common Access Card (CAC) or official orders. For veterans, present a DD-214, a Veterans ID Card (VIC) issued by the VA, or any other official proof of veteran status. The pass is issued on the spot at no cost.

Online: Visit store.usgs.gov/pass. The veteran pass can be ordered online. You'll need to upload documentation. Processing and shipping take a few weeks, so order ahead of your first planned trip. Shipping is free.

What to bring: The most reliable documentation is the DD-214 for veterans. Most staffed fee stations will also accept a VA-issued ID card or a state-issued veteran designation on a driver's license. Some stations, especially at smaller or less-staffed locations, may not be familiar with all acceptable documentation forms. Carrying the DD-214 eliminates ambiguity.

A note: some fee stations are unstaffed, particularly at national forest trailheads. At those locations, there's often an iron ranger (a box for self-pay envelopes). The America the Beautiful Pass, including the veteran version, is intended to cover those fees without requiring a human to verify documentation. Display your pass on the dashboard.

For Gold Star Families

The Gold Star Family pass works the same way as the veteran pass in terms of what it covers. To qualify, you must be the surviving spouse, child, parent, or sibling of a service member who died while on active duty.

Getting the pass requires documentation of Gold Star status. Contact the nearest national park or ranger district for specifics on accepted documentation, as this is newer than the veteran benefit and some stations are less familiar with the process. The National Military Family Association and other Gold Star support organizations also maintain current guidance on obtaining the pass.

Annual vs. Lifetime Pass

The free military and veteran pass is currently issued as an annual pass, requiring renewal each year. This is different from the standard America the Beautiful Annual Pass ($80) and the Senior Pass (a one-time $80 fee for a lifetime pass for those 62 and older).

Legislation to create a lifetime veteran pass has been introduced in Congress multiple times. As of the time of this writing, it has not passed. The annual pass renews free of charge with current documentation. For most veterans, that means showing the DD-214 each time, which doesn't expire, so the renewal process is straightforward.

Where to Use It

The pass works at more than 2,000 sites. In practical terms, if you're going to any national park, any national forest with a fee area, or most BLM recreation areas with a day-use fee, the pass covers the entry. That's most of the outdoor recreation infrastructure in the country.

For national forests specifically: most access is free without any pass. But when you're parking at a trailhead in the Mt. Hood, Deschutes, Gifford Pinchot, or other Pacific Northwest forests where the Northwest Forest Pass applies, the America the Beautiful Pass substitutes for it. The same goes for the Interagency fee areas within individual forests like the White River in Colorado or the Inyo in California, where trailhead parking fees are common at heavily used corridors.

A Note from ForestMatters

ForestMatters, LLC is veteran-owned and independently operated. We built this site partly because we believe public lands access matters, and partly because veterans are among the most active users of America's public lands. If you're planning a first trip, our guides to best hikes near Portland, best hikes near Denver, and best hikes near Los Angeles are good starting points across the country.

The America the Beautiful Pass is one of the most consistently underutilized veteran benefits. We've talked to veterans who didn't know it existed, veterans who thought it only covered national parks, and veterans who assumed they didn't qualify because they didn't serve long enough or in combat. None of those assumptions are correct.

If you served, you qualify. Get the pass. The public lands are yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do veterans get the America the Beautiful Pass?

Veterans can get the pass in person at any staffed entrance station at a national park or national forest by presenting a DD-214, VA-issued Veterans ID Card, or a state-issued driver's license with a veteran designation. You can also order it online at store.usgs.gov/pass by uploading your documentation. Processing and shipping take a few weeks, so order before your first planned trip.

What does the pass cover at national forests?

The pass covers entrance fees and day-use fees at national forest sites where fees apply, including trailhead parking areas that require the Northwest Forest Pass in Washington and Oregon. It works at interagency fee areas within individual forests across the country. It does not cover campground nightly fees or wilderness quota permit fees.

Does the America the Beautiful Pass cover campground fees?

No. At the vast majority of campgrounds on federal land, including national park and national forest campgrounds booked through Recreation.gov, you still pay the nightly site fee. The pass covers entrance and day-use fees at the gate or trailhead, not the campsite reservation itself.