America the Beautiful National Park Passport

Sometimes we overlook the amazing places to travel right in our own backyard. The US National Parks are always so amazing and we usually try to get to one a year. So we set out on a Southwest road trip this past week to see Arches and Canyonlands National Park. The cost to enter both parks is $35 and $30 respectively and it became clear that an America the Beautiful Pass was worth the investment. We’ve been wanting to do some healthy adventure travel in 2020 and this seemed like the perfect time to hit more national parks Then we had an aha moment – a National Park Passport would make a great gift for Christmas, Birthdays, Graduation, Coach’s Gift or some other occasion.

The America the Beautiful Pass

The America the Beautiful Pass is $80, valid for one year and covers the entry of one vehicle and 4 adults. Kids under 16 are free. It covers all 61 National Parks, national monuments, recreation sites and battlefields. If you have a 4th Grade child, they qualify for an Every Kid Outdoors free pass that allows them to bring up to 3 adults and kids under 16 with them. The Senior Pass is $20 annually or $80 for a lifetime pass. Since the pass also covers parking at many hiking spots, we already hit the $80 value in less than one week. We’re excited to see how many spots we can get to in 2020.

Related Post: A Joshua Tree Weekend Getaway Guide for 2020

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Who Would Love an America the Beautiful National Park Passport

• People who love hiking or active vacations
• Anyone who loves camping and the outdoors
• Someone who is making a New Year’s Resolution to get in shape
• People that love road trips
• A family with young kids to teenagers
• Someone doing a cross country trip or drive
• Photography Enthusiasts
• Empty Nesters
• Retirees and Seniors
• International visitors to the US

Canadian Discovery Pass

Our neighbor to the north has a similar National park passport program called the Discovery Pass. It includes admission to 80 Parks Canada places and might be worth if it you live near the border or are planning a trip to Canada. It includes Banff, Jasper and Glacier National Parks, among many others. Canada has incredible National parks.

Related Post: Top Things to do in Banff National Park This Winter

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Make a National Park Passport Gift Basket

If you want to do something more than just handing over an America the Beautiful Pass or you want to make the gift into a larger gift, you can put together an awesome gift basket. Here are some ideas on things you can include:

• Backpack or Travel Camera Backpack
• Camping Gear – Tent, Hammock, Sleeping Bag, Camping Stove
• 2020 National Parks Calendar or National Parks Large Wall Calendar
• National Geographic Coffee Table book of National Parks and Trip Ideas
• Audible or Kindle Subscription
• Headlamp or Lantern
• Water Bottle or Life Straw
• Fun snacks like trail mix, candy or protein bars.
• Sunscreen or Insect Repellant

Personally my favorite gift is travel. We usually go somewhere instead of buying gifts. For someone besides your spouse, it’s a little harder to give the gift of travel. It’s not like you can just give plane tickets or a hotel room. That’s what is so great about a National park passport. It’s a gift that gives the recipient fun things to do all year long from weekend recreation to bigger trips. The best part is you can pick the amount of gift that you want. If you want to spend more than $80, you can make a travel gift basket.

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