$80 Lifetime Senior National Park Pass Starts Tomorrow

Above, the Lassen Peak Trailhead parking lot. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Well, you can't say you haven't been warned. At least if one is a regular reader of this blog.

The $10 lifetime Senior National Park Pass is ending today. Tomorrow, it will cost people age 62 and over $80 for the same pass.

Fortunately for me, I turned 62 last year and immediately bought the Senior Pass then. It has paid for itself many times. During my most recent trip, I visited 2 national parks. I didn't have to pay an entrance fee at either. I only had to pay $24 to camp at Lassen Volcanic National Park's Manzanita Lake Campground. I could have obtained a 50% discount of the camping fee with the pass, but I didn't bother since $24 to camp is cheap enough (actually, I didn't think of it). I'm not squawking.

Still, even at $80, it is still a bargain. All one has to do is to visit 3 national parks who charge a $30 entrance fee and it paid for itself. Crater Lake National Park charges $15 per car and Lassen Volcanic National Park charges $20. Grand Canyon National Park and Yosemite National Park each charge $30.

However, if anyone who doesn't want to pop $80 for a lifetime Senior Pass at once, they can do it in an "installment plan". They can buy an annual Senior Pass for $20 for 4 years and on the fourth year, they automatically qualify for a lifetime Senior Pass without paying extra. The trick is, keeping records of their pass purchases.