One of the best deals going for Americans 62 and older who love national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facilities is the Senior Pass, authorizing free admittance to parks and Corps day use facilities, and discounts of up to 50 percent on camping. The lifetime pass has been $10 since 1994, but is going up to $80 on August 28.
Senior Passes are available locally at the Corps office in Rogers and the Pea Ridge National Military Park.
“We have been selling passes very quickly,” visitor use assistant Kerry Jones of Pea Ridge National Military Park, said. “The pass is very much a worthwhile thing to have.”
For example, admittance to Pea Ridge is $15 for one carload. So, you more than recover the cost of your pass in one visit, and then can use it the rest of your life.
“If you go to some of the larger parks in the West and are gone a week or two, it can save you a considerable amount of money, $200 to $400 or more, if you stay a while,” Jones said. “Every U.S. citizen gets free access to 299 federal parks currently even without a Senior Pass. With the Senior Pass, you get free admittance to the other 118 parks. Locally, you can invite family members or friends when they come to visit to visit Pea Ridge or the Corps facilities on Beaver Lake.”
It is possible to purchase a Senior Pass online at store.usgs.gov/senior-pass. In addition to the fee, you must pay a $10 processing fee. Jones said it is better for local residents to purchase the Senior Pass locally.
“There are two different places in Northwest Arkansas where you can purchase a pass and go home the same day with the pass,” Jones said. “If you go online and order, the last figure I saw was an estimated 10 to 12 weeks wait time, and it could be 16 weeks. The government sometimes moves like an amoeba.”
He recommends not waiting until the deadline of August 28 to get your pass as they might run out.
And he can’t resist adding a little Civil War history.
“The term deadline actually emanates from the Civil War,” he said. “At the Andersonville Prison, there used to be a line around that prison camp and guards could shoot prisoners who went outside of the line. Not that we are going to shoot anyone, but you might want to not wait until close to the deadline.”
When the fees go up to $80, part of that funding will be used for badly needed repairs at parks.
“The Park Service really needs the money,” he said. “There is a serious backlog in maintenance. Some of the revenues will go towards that. Some parks will keep 80 to 100 percent of the fees. Our site here is in that range.”
Currently it costs $5 for day use for one private vehicle at one of the Beaver Lake swimming or picnic areas. Marie Wilbanks, administrative assistant at the Corps office in Rogers at 2260 North 2nd St., said with the Senior Pass, you and up to three passengers in a non-commercial vehicle are free if the pass is displayed properly in the vehicle. There is free boat launching and camping is half price for Senior Pass holders at Corps facilities.
In order to purchase the pass, the person must be 62 and have some form of identification such as a driver’s license or ID card. The $10 is payable in cash, credit card or by check. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 – 4:30 p.m.
Wilbanks said there has been a strong demand for the Senior Pass.
“If we run out of the Senior Passes before the deadline, you can get a rain check,” she said.
The Pass can be used at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the nation. Pass owners are encouraged to check with sites they plan to visit before obtaining a pass to verify that their Pass will be accepted. Anytime a Pass is used, photo identification will be requested to verify Pass ownership. Passes are non-refundable, non-transferrable and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen, so if your pass has been lost or stolen, you must purchase a new one. Worn or damaged passes can be replaced for free at any recreation site where passes are issued, or through the mail by returning the pass with the application found on the Recreation.gov website and paying the $10 processing fee.