New passes cover several federal recreation site fees

HELENA – New passes that cover entrance fees for federal recreational sites are now available.

The “America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass” combines the benefits of existing passes from five federal agencies: the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Forest Service.

The pass applies to federal recreational sites with entrance or standard amenity fees, and replaces the Golden Eagle and National Parks Pass, the BLM said in a news release. Access to most public lands will still be free.

The Golden Age and the Golden Access Passports will be replaced with the Interagency Senior and Interagency Access passes. Existing passes remain valid until they expire or are lost.

Revenue from passes sold at federal recreation sites will benefit the selling agency, with no less than 80 percent of the revenue staying at the site where the pass is sold, the news release said.

The new interagency program features four types of passes:

•An $80 annual interagency pass for visitors to multiple federal sites. This pass offers unlimited coverage of entrance and standard amenity recreation fees for a year. It does not cover campground fees.

•A $10 lifetime pass for U.S. citizens age 62 and older.

•A free lifetime pass for citizens with permanent disabilities.

•A free annual pass for volunteers acquiring 500 hours of service on a cumulative basis.

The new passes are good at vehicle entry sites for all occupants in a single, noncommercial vehicle. At walk-up sites, the pass is good for the pass holder and three adults.

Passes are available at federal recreational sites, through the U.S. Geological Survey Web site at http://store.usgs.gov/pass or by calling (888) 275-8747.