Sunday deadline for cheap lifetime national park senior passes

Oregonians and people across the country age 62 and older have until midnight on Sunday to get a great deal on lifetime passes to national parks and other federal recreational sites.

The passes are $10 until Monday when the price increases to $80. It’s the first price increase since 1994.

Because of the $10 deal, many places have run out of passes.

Marsha McCabe, public information officer at Crater Lake National Park, says her office is one of those places, but adds that the deadline is creating a surge in park popularity.

“It’s great,” she states. “We’re very happy to sell senior passes, and we’re just sorry we don’t have any more to sell to folks right now.”

Folks can go to store.usgs.gov to purchase passes online or find a nearby site where passes are being sold.

Purchasing online comes with a $10 processing fee.

Because many sites are sold out of passes, people will be given vouchers and must redeem the vouchers before the end of September.

McCabe says Congress passed the price increase in December, and the revenue generated from new price will go to the National Park Service Centennial Project funding.

“So, it will be for special projects that will help the national parks into the future,” she explains. “All of our fee dollars go into projects that directly benefit visitors at parks.”

The passes aren’t only valid at national parks. They’re also good at more than 2,000 recreation sites managed by five different government agencies across the country.

The pass also gets folks reduced prices on camping fees at some sites. After Sunday, annual senior passes will be available for $20.