America the Beautiful Pass: Is It Worth It in California?

The pass covers entrance and standard amenity fees on National Park Service, Forest Service, BLM, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers land.

The resident annual pass has cost $80, valid 12 months. For 2026, nonresidents pay more and owe an extra per-person fee at some of the busiest parks.

Check these before buying the standard pass.

• Senior pass: US citizens and residents 62 and older, annual or lifetime
• Military pass: free for service members and dependents; free lifetime for veterans and Gold Star families
• Access pass: free lifetime pass for US citizens and residents with a permanent disability
• Every Kid Outdoors: free for US fourth graders and families during the school year
• Volunteer pass: earned through volunteer hours on federal lands

Most California national parks charge about $30 to $35 per vehicle for seven days. Channel Islands and Redwood National Park charge no NPS entrance fee.

Three fee parks in a year makes the pass worth it, as on my 10-day national parks road trip.

• Yosemite + Sequoia and Kings Canyon + Death Valley: buy it
• Joshua Tree + Death Valley + Forest Service or BLM sites: likely worth it
• One park per year: pay the entrance fee
• Frequent Southern California hiker: often worth it for Adventure Pass coverage

It covers monuments like Lava Beds and Cabrillo and many national forest and BLM day-use fees. At Muir Woods it covers entry but not the parking or shuttle reservation (see my Muir Woods and Sausalito day trip).

It does not replace Yosemite entry reservations or wilderness and Half Dome permits.

• Campsites, lodges, tours and ferries (Senior and Access holders get some camping discounts)
• Wilderness, Half Dome and Mount Whitney permits
• Reservation fees
• California State Parks such as Point Lobos, Pfeiffer Big Sur and Anza-Borrego
• Many concessioner shuttles, such as the Reds Meadow shuttle near Mammoth

Pfeiffer Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer Burns, Point Lobos, the redwood state parks, Anza-Borrego and Crystal Cove charge their own fees.

California State Parks sells annual passes. Library cardholders can borrow a free day-use pass through the California State Library Parks Pass program.

Buy it at park entrances, visitor centers, REI stores, or online through the USGS store or Recreation.gov. It is valid through the end of the purchase month a year later.