Free National Park Pass for 4th Graders

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I have repeatedly mentioned the Every Kid Outdoors Free National Park Pass for 4th Graders program in blog posts over the years. Still, with the new school year starting, I want to do a dedicated blog post so you don’t miss it!

Abby and Jake are no longer 4th graders, but I know many of you have children in 4th grade, too! Even if they aren’t there yet, you can keep this Free National Park Pass for 4th graders program in mind or share it with your family and friends.

free national parks pass for 4th graders

Free National Park Pass for 4th Graders

Children in the fourth grade have access to their own National Parks Pass. This means that your family gets FREE access to 2,000+ parks, lands, sites, and waters for an entire year.

This National Parks Pass provides complimentary access to national parks, forests, preserves, historical sites, refuges, waters, and more around the country for an entire year. As long as your 4th grader is with you, the whole family gets in for free, too!

This is such a great program because, at that age, kids are playing and discovering less and spending more and more time in front of screens. This helps get the kids back into nature, where they can learn and grow exponentially!

When Can I Get My Child’s FREE National Parks Pass For 4th Graders?

The Free National Park Pass for 4th Graders cycle runs from September 1st to August 31st each year. So, if you have a current 4th grader, you can go on now; you can get a pass to last through next summer.

Isn’t that so awesome? Make sure to tell your friends about this great program!

How Do I Get My Child’s FREE National Parks Pass For 4th Graders?

It’s easy peasy. You can go to this page specifically to get started right away and claim your Free National Park Pass for 4th Graders! Once there, you confirm you have a 4th grader (or home school equivalent).

Next, your child can answer a few questions about where they would go with their pass. It’s just a fun little activity that takes less than a minute. It’s also fun for the kids and gets them excited to be National Parks Pass holders! You can view the official rules of this program here.

Where Should We Go with our FREE National Parks Pass For 4th Graders?

You can click here to plan a visit or learn more about the National Parks in your area.

Remember that you have so many options! In the past, we have used ours in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and so many other places!

There are many historic sites, wildlife refuges, recreation areas, waterways, monuments, etc., and the National Parks and National Preserves that we all know and love. Hopefully, the following information will help you navigate where you can utilize it.

The following agencies participate in the America The Beautiful National Parks Pass program.

Recources

Visiting the National Park Service’s website is a great jumping-off point to see what is included with these National Park passes. Here, they show an extensive list of places (by state) where passes are issued in person. While it only shows in some areas (some don’t have a station or are unmanned facilities), it serves as a great general list for more extensive facilities. You can also get your free pass in person at one of those listed!

Here are a few other options.

When you visit findyourpark.com, you can sort by state or interest. This is a fantastic way to find new places to visit nearby. And a great way to continue your child’s education this summer!
Over at discovertheforest.org, you can search by zip code and distance to find new and exciting places to visit. There are so many great National Forests!
The site recreation.gov is also an excellent resource for finding places to visit.
Or use good old Google Maps.

When searching, remember that this is a national pass that only covers fees for local, city, or state parks and recreation areas if they say that they accept this pass. Many of these do show up in results. Typically, they would say “state park” versus “national park.”

How Else Can I Get A Free National Parks Pass?

Don’t have a fourth-grader?

Did you know that U.S. citizens with disabilities and current U.S. military members and dependents (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Reserve, and National Guard) can also qualify for a FREE NATIONAL PARKS PASS? Click here for more info!

I hope that you have found this information valuable!

Leave me a comment if you grabbed one, and share it with your friends! They will thank you later. You can use this image below to PIN this post for when you have a 4th grader! And if your child is currently in 3rd grade, don’t be afraid to set a reminder in your calendar for September 1 of next year so that your child (and your family) can enjoy the free pass for an entire year.