National park senior pass

[kb426]

This is wayyy off topic but in case you are unaware, the National park senior pass goes up in price August 28. Because so many of us are travelers, I thought I would mention it.

[WZ JUNK]

This is wayyy off topic but in case you are unaware, the National park senior pass goes up in price August 28. Because so many of us are travelers, I thought I would mention it.

The park service has lost a lot of money because of our park passes.  I think it paid for itself the second time we used mine and we have been dollars ahead since then.  We have now visited all of the continental parks, the parks in Hawaii, and as of last week 5 of the 8 in Alaska.  We plan to visit the last 3 in Alaska next summer.  That will leave us 2, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands.  American Samoa is going to be tough.  There are 59 parks that include National Park in there name.    The senior pass is one of the best purchases anyone can make.  

When we visit a park, we do not tag in and leave.  We try to see as much as we can of each one.  Two of the Alaska parks required us to hire a bush pilot and a plane to get to the park.  Neither park has any facilities or any roads but has millions of acres of wilderness.  After viewing them from the air, we landed on a gravel river bank in The Gates of Acrtic NP and on sand dunes at Kobuk Valley NP.  These are the two least visited of all the national parks.

John

[34ford]

Yup, we just got ours about a month ago. Sent in an application about 2 1/2 months ago and never heard anything. Watched the credit card and nothing showed up on it either. Went to a park in the state here and bought one there thinking the mail in one got lost. Received and email last week from them and said the credit card wouldn't clear, must have some messed up numbers. Called the number on the email and told them I'd had already bought one and they said they would shred the information. FYI the card is only good for the persons who's name is on it so if that person dies the card is not good for your spouse, only you.

bc

[58 Yeoman]

My wife and I will hit the garage/estate sales just about every weekend, getting all the good deals. Even when we don't find anything, it's a nice day out and away from the house. Well, when I read about the senior passes, we looked online to see where we could find them, instead of paying the extra getting them online. Well, just so happens that they sell them at the Rock Island * Travel center in the Quad Cities. BOING! IDEA! Let's take a drive to Rock Island, hit some garage and estate sales, then stop and get our passes (we had our passports with us as ID).

Well, we're done with the sales, and we're in Iowa, so we head over to the *, following the Garmim GPS. It takes us across the bridge, making sure to tell us to turn right at the other end. I do turn right, then proceed forward. We pass another gate at the next stop light and keep going. Then it tells us to make hay u-turn (that's the way he pronounces it). When we passed that second gate at the light, it said for visitors to use the Moline gate. So we continue into Rock Island, but don't see anymore signs. I make a hay u-turn and start heading back the way we came. I stop at a stop light, and it tells me to turn right.

NOW, we're getting somewhere. The next block it says to turn left, so I did. The next block, it says to turn left again. Geez...why all the turns to just get one block farther on the road that I was already on? Anyway, we get back to that second stop light, and see everyone coming out, so I pass it and continue on the the one at the first turn. I said I'm going in that gate. Yeah, right! Barricades are up. Make hay u-turn again and head back to the second light with the gate.

I turn left into the gate and come up to a cop at a little guard house. He kind of looks surprised! (I guess he didn't see my Veteran license plate on the front of the truck). He laughs when I tell him we're touristas. He says to make a u-turn, turn left at the gate, turn left on 14th street, then turn left again on....sjdjfoiasnao.

Well...we never did find the Moline gate, so we didn't get our passes. But wait...there are some garage/estate sales in Springfield, IL. tomorrow. They also sell the passes somewhere in that city. Sounds like another day trip  is in store...

[Mikej]

I was going to Desota Bend and get one but I'm not old enough.

[lofat46]

Thanks for the heads up.  We applied for ours on-line on Saturday.  $10.00 each plus a $10.00 (each) service charge for doing it on line.  Going up to $80.00 each August 28th.

[41woodie]

I've had a pass for a long time but we picked up one for my wife while we were in Estes Park a couple of weeks ago.  Drove to the Rocky Mountain National Park entrance, showed the nice person her drivers license and handed over $10, they handed us the pass.  No application, no waiting just took maybe a minute or possibly two.

[58 Yeoman]

My wife called the Springfield office Tuesday, and they said that they just received another 3000 passes. We took a nice ride yesterday and picked up ours. Got to see the countryside .

[Crosley.In.AZ]

for some reason.  My wife seems happy I can buy one ... She is not old enough to purchase a pass

[58 Yeoman]

You can get up to four people in one car in on one pass in most places.

[kb426]

I was planning on riding to the Cimarron  National Grasslands tomorrow to get a pass but my plans have dived into the toilet. I just ordered one from the govt. website. It will be here before I have any trips planned so it's not a problem. Summer is vanishing and I'm trying to make the best of my time.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

We took a ride out to the Casa Grande Ruins this morning.  Bought my 10 dollar lifetime senior pass there.  

its been 10 or 12 yrs since we visited the place. Visitor center has been updated a lot since our last visit

[sirstude]

Wife and I bought ours this last week.  Can't beat the deal and we are just a couple of hours away from both Glacier and Yellowstone.  Good excuse to go more often.

[kb426]

Mine arrived today. It came with a hanger for the rear view mirror.