Visiting Our National Parks

A Brief Introduction

Pat Brennan  |   January 12,  2021

Every once in a while Congress has a great idea.  Probably their greatest and most enduring was the creation of the first National Park, Yellowstone, in 1872 followed by Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890, Mt. Rainier in 1899, and Crater Lake in 1902.  In 1916 the National Park Service was created to provide oversight and administration of the park system.  The National Park system encompasses more than just scenic areas, it also preserves some of our most historic areas.  The system includes:

National Battlefields

National Military Parks

National Battlefield Sites

National Battlefield Parks

International Historic Site

National Historical Parks

National Historical sites

National Monuments

National Lakeshores

National Memorials

My primary focus with this blog will be our National Parks (think scenic) and maybe a few battlefields although every bit of the system is worth our time.

Our National Parks are located from Alaska to Hawaii, from Maine to California, from Montana to Florida, from Guam to Puerto Rico.  Many of the most scenic are located west of the Mississippi and there are concentrations of them in Utah, California and Wyoming where you can easily visit more than one in a day (not recommended—I did this once).   The incredible diversity afforded by each park makes this system a national treasure.  

Cost—For the value received the cost of park entry is a bargain.  Admission fees vary from park to park.  Here are a few examples to give you an idea of cost.

	Grand Canyon NP	Vicksburg Military Park	Chickamauga & Chattanooga MP
Vehicle Permit Up to 15 Passenger-7 days	$35	$20	$10 (at Lookout Mtn, Point Park, per person)
Motorcycle 2 person- 7 days	$30	$15
Individual Permit –  days	$20	$10	$10

If you are going to frequent several parks in a year, the National Parks system has a variety of passes which you should consider.  I qualify for a veteran pass and obtained mine earlier in 2020. 

Annual and Lifetime passes allow entry for the pass holder + additional passengers in a non-commercial vehicle up to 15 passengers.  You can buy an annual pass for a park, however, for about $10 more you can buy an America the Beautiful Annual pass for $80 good for a year after date of purchase allowing entry into all the parks. 

Active duty military qualify for the free America the Beautiful—Annual Pass for the Military and this too will allow your vehicle party into the park.  And, as of Veteran’s Day, 2020, U. S. military veterans and Gold Star Families qualify for free access.  Seniors, children, and the disabled also have special passes available making access affordable or free.  Everything you want to know about passes can be found at: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm. 

For the National Park nerd, and consider me one, you may want to buy a National Park Passport to record your visits.  I bought one recently at Point Park, Lookout Mountain, TN for about $15.00.  You can order them online or buy one at a park visitor center.  When you visit a park, go to the visitor’s center and get it stamped.  Again, this is nerd-like behavior but fun.

Basic Visitor Strategy—When I first visited a series of parks, in Utah, in 1991 there was no internet to speak of.  I drove in, got the visitor’s pamphlet, and then drove around.  Nowadays, the park’s official website is a must view for both long term and day of visit planning because access and movement in the park is always changing.  The Pandemic has significantly altered the park experience mainly restricting access to visitor’s centers, food services and other areas where people congregate.  The good news is that the really great aspect of many of the parks, the outdoors, is still generally accessible. 

Every park website will have this disclaimer at the top:

“Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health authorities, park operations continue to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining public access, particularly outdoor spaces. Before visiting a park, please check the park website to determine its operating status. Updates about the overall NPS response to COVID-19, including safety information, are posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus. Please recreate responsibly.”

And then, for each specific park, there is pertinent information you need to be aware of.  For example, here is what the Grand Canyon’s website says in its “Alerts in Effect” section on the homepage, 12 Jan 21:

“The South Rim is open. NOTE: SR 64, East Entrance to the park at Desert View via Cameron, is CLOSED. You must use the South Entrance near the town of Tusayan, AZ to enter & exit the park. SR 67 and the North Rim of the park are closed for the Winter. “  There are other alerts as well. 

I’ve entered the park from the east entrance at Desert View and it’s a great way to visit.  If you are coming from the north, it’s the best way to enter the South Rim.  Alerts such as road closures, road maintenance, and other issues can be found in the Alerts in Effect section.  If you don’t check these alerts your visit could be greatly inconvenienced. 

Desert View Entrance, the Grand Canyon, May 2019.  PWB Enterprises, LLC.

There is a great deal more you’ll want to consider to maximize your time in our National Parks. In future blog posts we’ll talk more about how to plan and prepare to make your visit a pleasure.

Onward,

Pat Brennan

Pat Brennan is the founder of bucksandparks.com.

© PWB Enterprises, LLC 2021.  All rights reserved.