When should I get my National Park Annual Pass?

Ron045 · 05-19-2018, 07:12 AM

Should I get my National Park Annual Pass now, before I leave for my trip or can I buy it at the first National Park I stop at?

Thanks for your thoughts.
Ron

**KyDan** · 05-19-2018, 07:23 AM

You can buy it at just about any NP visitor center or check in station.
Happy Trails!

youroo · 05-19-2018, 07:24 AM

Get it Now, all NP locations Don't sell the Pass! Look at "America the Beatiful Passes" for a List! But they might be Out of Passes when you get there! Think "Bird in the Hand"!

Youroo!!

**KyDan** · 05-19-2018, 07:32 AM

OK- which NP are you going to visit first???

lswartz · 05-19-2018, 07:50 AM

If you are close, buy it now as it is one less item to worry about (get it done now). As suggested above, check online & see if the first national park you visit sells the pass & get it there.

DouglasReid · 05-19-2018, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron045

Should I get my National Park Annual Pass now, before I leave for my trip or can I buy it at the first National Park I stop at?

Thanks for your thoughts.
Ron

You can get it when you stop at a NP.

HOWEVER, if you get it before yo leave your check in time will be shorter and the people in line behind you wont be held up so long either.

Ron045 · 05-19-2018, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyDan

OK- which NP are you going to visit first???

Grand Teton National Park is our first stop. I saw on the web site they sell the pass for $80.

I also saw I could buy the pass online for $80 + a $5 handing fee and it would get here in about 10 days.

If I wait... for $80 I have a pass from June to June. If I buy it now it will cost $85 and I will have a pass from May to May.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

...and the people in line behind you wont be held up so long either.

Would that be my fault of the inefficiency of the NPS to issue passes? Many places I go that require tickets have two lines. One for those with tickets already and another for those buying tickets. Doesn't the NPS do something similar?

Thanks!
Ron

**KyDan** · 05-19-2018, 08:35 AM

Ron, since you are getting an ANNUAL pass it is in your favor to wait until the last minute to purchase so you get as much use as possible.

If you were looking for the old geezer pass (like I have) then there wouldn't be much advantage to waiting.

Enjoy your trip. I'm sure it will be awesome!

DouglasReid · 05-19-2018, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron045

Would that be my fault of the inefficiency of the NPS to issue passes? Many places I go that require tickets have two lines. One for those with tickets already and another for those buying tickets. Doesn't the NPS do something similar?

Thanks!
Ron

I see you have VERY Little experience dealing with "Gubment" entities. *S*

cavie · 05-19-2018, 11:11 AM

as stated above. Get it now. Not all parks sell them.

Alan F · 05-19-2018, 12:08 PM

If your first stop park sells them, get it there and you will have it a month longer, by your post. We have been to seven National Parks on this trip, and we have the Senior Lifetine Pass. We use the same lane as everyone else. Rather than paying your park entrance fee, you will pay the annual pass fee. Won’t take any longer.

jboczek · 05-19-2018, 12:33 PM

Get your pass in person at a park, either ahead of time or when you get to the first park. Even if they're out of them, they will give you a "temporary" pass until they can send you a real one. I did mine online since I wasn't in a hurry and it literally took 2 months to get it. It was the old geezer lifetime pass.

BobHanke · 05-19-2018, 12:35 PM

Good news if you or anyone in your rig is 62 years old. You would qualify for the Senior LIFETIME Pass. Free park entry for your rig and all aboard. Also half price camping at most federal parks including Corps of Engineers campgrounds. Price went up a bit since I got mine but it is a great investment that lasts forever.

elchilero53 · 05-19-2018, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jboczek

Get your pass in person at a park, either ahead of time or when you get to the first park. Even if they're out of them, they will give you a "temporary" pass until they can send you a real one. I did mine online since I wasn't in a hurry and it literally took 2 months to get it. It was the old geezer lifetime pass.

Perhaps there were trying to verify your "geezerhood" status!

We got ours several years ago before the price increase. We only paid $20. Yes, I am rubbing it in.

johntaylor · 05-19-2018, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron045

Would that be my fault of the inefficiency of the NPS to issue passes? Many places I go that require tickets have two lines. One for those with tickets already and another for those buying tickets. Doesn't the NPS do something similar?

Some parks have a passholders-only lane, but drivers without passes ignore the sign and go through the passholders line because the queue is shorter.

NO3putt · 05-19-2018, 01:09 PM

Just call your local national park or wildlife office and see if they sell them there. We purchased ours in town without going into a park.

kmlisle · 05-19-2018, 01:18 PM

You can also check out national monuments offices. We got one in St Augustine at the Spanish fort which is a monument and the BWCA offices in northern Minnesota also sell park passes. If a National Park is very busy it is an advantage to have you pass ahead of time as there will be 2 lanes for entrance with the pass holders line faster as you just need to show your pass. We had this happen at Yellowstone last year. I have a Geezer pass and have used it extensively. Sure we have saved hundreds of $$$ with it for half price camping and park entrances which are now sometimes 20$ and up.

MissouriCamper · 05-19-2018, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jboczek

Get your pass in person at a park, either ahead of time or when you get to the first park. Even if they're out of them, they will give you a "temporary" pass until they can send you a real one. I did mine online since I wasn't in a hurry and it literally took 2 months to get it. It was the old geezer lifetime pass.

If you have plenty of time to wait online is a good way to go, ours was almost 3 months before it finally arrived.

67L48 · 05-19-2018, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron045

[...] If I wait... for $80 I have a pass from June to June. If I buy it now it will cost $85 and I will have a pass from May to May. [...]

Buy now and you get 11 months of use (June when your trip starts until next May) for $85. Buy later and you get 12 months of use for $80. Thus, buying now is 15.9% more expensive if looked at from a per-month basis. (85/11)-(80/12)/(80/12)

If you will not go to any parks outside of this trip, then the extra month doesn't matter -- you're just buying a pass to be used for a couple of months ... and it's a straight 6.3% price difference for buying now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron045

[...] Many places I go that require tickets have two lines. One for those with tickets already and another for those buying tickets. Doesn't the NPS do something similar? [...]

In theory, yes, they do. There is a line for those needing to buy passes for some duration and there is a line for those already with a pass. So, it should be an advantage for having a pass, as you can bypass the line and zip right in.

In practice, with both national and state parks, when it gets busy, people do one of three things: can't read/comprehend the signs, don't read the signs, or read the signs and ignore the rules. So, both lanes become clogged with people buying passes, since the rangers don't do anything to actually police the behavior. YMMV, obviously.

It was concisely stated above:

Quote:

Originally Posted by johntaylor

Some parks have a passholders-only lane, but drivers without passes ignore the sign and go through the passholders line because the queue is shorter.

BobHanke · 05-19-2018, 02:50 PM

If elchilero53 paid $20.00 for his "old geezer" pass and I paid $10.00 for mine, it means that I will be a "geezer in the freezer" soon!

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