Did you know that military members and their dependents get the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass free?  That’s an $80 value!  Find all of the details here. 

The biggest thing you need to be aware of is that the sponsor needs to pick up the card in person unless deployed.  After that, the dependent can be the second signer on the sponsor’s pass.  Check the list to find a location near you. 

We picked ours up at a national forest station the day before our park visit, just to make sure we had everything in order.   Before making a special trip to get your pass, you should call to make sure they are available at your intended location.

Visiting a federal recreational site is a great way to get the whole family active.  With spring and summer right around the corner you can find a site near you for a day trip, or plan stops into your vacation/PCS road trip.  We just got back from a 4,000-mile road trip with our daughter and two dogs and it was great to stretch our legs from time to time. 

On our drive from California to Kansas we stopped at several parks.  We took a tour of the Lehman Caves (extra fee for tour) at Great Basin National Park in Nevada.  Afterwards, we were able to rent snowshoes for a $1 suggested donation each.  In Utah, we spent two days hiking at Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.  Then, we took a quick walk at the Colorado National Monument to break up our drive to Denver.  After that, we had to outrun a storm to get back to Kansas so there was no more site-seeing. 

We bought the Passport To Your National Parks at the first stop so our daughter could have the pleasure of stamping each site, just like a real passport.  She’s excited to collect stamps as we continue our travels.  We’re PCSing halfway across the country this summer so she’ll have something to look forward to as we pick up and move for the second time in a year.

What is your favorite park/federal recreational site to visit?