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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
In the USA the entrance charge usually covers a period of seven days while in Canada it usually only covers one or two days.
There is hardly ever any charge for car parking within the parks.
Shuttle buses in those parks that have them are always free of charge since their purpose is to reduce traffic levels. Tram tours usually involve a fee, however.
There are of course separate charges for accommodation, the use of camp sites, horse riding trips, boat rentals, cave tours and other similar facilities in parks.
No sales tax is charged on entrance charges to National Parks, National Monuments, State Parks, Provincial Parks, etc (or perhaps where relevant the tax is included in the stated charge).
Most areas have a choice of a pass which is valid for one week from the date of purchase or alternatively at a higher cost a pass which is valid for unlimited access to that area alone for an entire year. The cost of the one week pass is normally $10 or $20 for National Parks and around $5 for National Monuments, as at summer 2000.
There is no entrance charge for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Although there may in theory be a charge for this park, there are no entrance stations and so no payment is collected.
The entrance charge for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in Wyoming is $20 for a normal car for one week (as at summer 2000), but a pass obtained for either of these parks is also valid at the other park for the seven day period.
The entrance charge for Yosemite National Park in California is $20 for a normal car for one week (as at summer 2000). The higher charge for this park is largely due to the cost of repairing the extensive damage caused by a massive flood which occurred early in January 1997.
There is no charge whatsoever for driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway or the Natchez Trace Parkway, or for the vast majority of the places of interest along these roads.
In the majority of US National Park Service areas entrance fees are paid at an entrance booth situated on the road as you enter the area. The ranger who takes your payment and gives you your receipt will also give you a leaflet with a map and a description of the area, and in many cases also a newspaper giving further up-to-the-minute information about the area. Be sure to ask for these items if they aren't automatically offered to you. The ranger will also be happy to answer any questions you may have, provided there isn't a queue of vehicles behind you. In that case you should visit the Visitor Centre for answers to your questions.
Where a through road passes through a US National Park Service area a charge is normally made even if you will only be passing through without stopping, although there are some exceptions to this rule.
In a few areas payment is made on foot at the visitor centre.
United States - National Parks Pass And Golden Eagle Passport
If you will be visiting a large number of US National Park Service areas then the National Parks Pass is well worth considering. This costs $50 (as at summer 2000). This pass gives unlimited admission for one year from the date of first usage at all National Park Service Areas, including all National Parks and National Monuments.
For an extra $15 (as at summer 2000) the National Parks Pass can be upgraded to a Golden Eagle Pass which gives entrance for one year to all Federal Fee Areas, in other words all the areas administered by:
These passes only covers entrance fees, not usage fees. For example, they do NOT include fees for accommodation, camping, cave tours, boat rentals, tram tours and so on.
Nor are these passes valid for entrance to US State Parks, Canadian National Parks, Canadian Provincial Parks, Tribal Parks in either country or any other areas not administered by the United States National Park Service or one of the other government agencies listed above.
These passes can be purchased at any US National Park Service area and almost certainly at any other area where they can be used to gain entrance.
A few US National Parks have introduced special "pre-paid" entrance lanes for visitors with National Parks Passes or Golden Eagle Passports or who have paid previously and are returning to the park. While vehicles in these pre-paid entrance lanes progress at a faster rate than the normal lanes, choosing them means that you will not normally receive any park literature such as the leaflet/map and newspaper.
The Golden Age Passport is available to citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are aged 62 or older. There is a one-time issuing fee of $10 but the passport remains valid for the lifetime of the holder.
The Golden Age Passport also entitles the holder to a 50% discount on federal use fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, boat launching, parking and so on.
The Golden Age Passport does not cover fees charged by private concessionaires or special recreation permit fees. In some cases such as cave tours only the permit holder will be given the 50% discount. The Forest Service requires private concessionaire operators of federally owned campgrounds on national forest lands to provide a 50% discount in the recreation use fee to Golden Age Passport holders.
The Golden Age Passport admits the permit holder and any accompanying passengers in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle. Where entry is not by private car, the passport admits the permit holder, spouse and children.
A Golden Age Passport must be obtained in person and cannot be obtained by mail or email. You must show proof of age, in the form of a driver's licence showing your date of birth, a birth certificate, United States passport or similar document.
The Golden Age Passport is available at most areas where it may be used. Therefore it is not necessary to obtain the passport in advance.
The Golden Age Passport is NOT available to visitors to the USA from other countries.
The Golden Age Passport does not provide free or discounted entrance to state parks or any other areas.
The method of entrance fee collection varies. Some parks have entrance booths, at some you pay at the visitor centre, while at others you have to put the fee in an envelope, filling in your details such as your car licence number. Since with the envelope system no change can be given, it is useful to have a number of $1 banknotes available.
Some of the official state parks web sites include details of entrance fees.
There are of course usage charges for accommodation, camping, horse rides, boat rentals and other activities in National Forests. These are not covered by a Golden Eagle Pass.
In the former case payment is now usually at entrance booths. In the latter case payment is usually made on foot at the visitor centre, where you can also collect maps and leaflets.
The entrance charge is always quoted as being "per day" but in fact in most cases is valid until 4pm following the day of purchase.
Neither the US National Parks Pass nor the Golden Eagle Passport are valid for entrance to Canadian National Parks.
Peter Edwards of Edinburgh (Scotland) kindly sent me this information regarding passes available from Parks Canada, the Canadian National Park Service, for multiple Canadian National Parks:
Canadian National Parks do have passes like the Golden Eagle, only better. There is a Western Pass and an Eastern Pass and others, according to where you are staying. I had a Western pass last year, which covered [all the National Parks in the southern half of British Columbia and Alberta]. It lasted a year, but was excellent value for our two week stay.The Canadian Rockies National Parks, namely Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho, have now introduced an entrance fee of CDN$10 per vehicle per day which also covers entrance until 4pm the next day. One payment covers entrance to all these parks within the time period. However, it would take rather more than two days to explore all these parks.
Most Canadian National Parks offer reduced entrance fees for senior citizens; typically there is a $2 reduction. I do not know the qualification age. To the best of my knowledge there is no equivalent to the Golden Age Passport scheme in Canada.
In the summer of 1997 Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario had an entrance charge of CDN$10 per car per day.
Many Canadian Provincial Parks which impose an entrance charge have slightly reduced fees for senior citizens.
US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas
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Most recently modified 26-May-04