We are on the last leg of our honeymoon after road tripping around National Parks and monuments in America’s West and Southwest. As we’re holed up in our cozy airbnb a few blocks from the Las Vegas Strip, we finally feel like we have time to take a breather after being go-go-go the past 9 days.
Garrett and I aren’t necessarily what you’d call “Vegas People.” We spent the night out on the town (if you could call it that – we were tucked into bed by 11pm) and today we’re reenergizing before touring Allegiant Park Field and visiting a few antique shops.
With that said, you could definitely consider us to be nature enthusiasts. For a little over a week we’ve been logging crazy miles on our rental (whoops!) and trying to make the most of our time. Here are a few of the highlights of places we’ve visited.
National Parks and Monuments we visitied in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.
- Bryce National Park
- Zion National Park
- Walnut Canyon National Monument
- Montezuma Castle National Monument
- Tuzigoot National Monument
- Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
- Wupatki National Monum
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Lake Mead
- Hoover Dam
America the Beautiful Pass
Most of the spots we visited require an admission fee – ranging from $10-$30. That can add up quickly if you’re trying to see a lot of sights in a short amount of time.
Luckily, a friend told us about the America The Beautiful Pass. It’s an $80 pass that allows you entrance into over 2,000 national, historic, and cultural sites within the United States.
The pass allows two owners to “share” it. Garrett and I both signed the back in joint ownership, it also covers anyone riding in your vehicle access, too. The pass is good for a year and we plan on making the most of it!
Where the America the Beautiful Pass allows you to access:
- National Parks
- Bureau of Land Management sites
- National Forests
- National Wildlife Refuges
- Bureau of Reclamation sites
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites
The pass isn’t valid for parks owned at the state level rather than the national level. So if a park is called ____________ State Park you’ll still have to pay the entry free, whereas at _____________ National Park your card will cover the fee.
Where to buy an America the Beautiful Pass
We bought our pass entering Bryce Canyon National Park (nothing like waiting until the last minute!), but you can also buy your pass in advance. Just make sure to order it with plenty of time to ship – you need your physical pass in hand to enter the parks. An online receipt is not enough!
If you don’t think you have time to buy your pass in advance – it was a 90 second process buying our pass at the park entrance. From what I’ve been able to find, you can buy your pass at any national park and most other federally owned lands that accept the pass. You can find the full list here.
How to Use Your Pass
Using your pass is easy – as you approach the entrance to the park, have your card and ID ready. We found that some parks are in such a hurry to get visitors through the entrance that they hardly even glance at your ID. Others closely inspected our card to make sure it matched the name on our ID.
Some of the lines moved incredibly slow, so we recommend being courteous and having your card and ID ready as soon as you pull up.
Is the pass worth $80?
If you’re a casual adventurer planning a one-time visit to a park, the $30 fee might be a better option. If you plan on visiting 3 or more parks in a calendar year, though, we highly recommend investing in an America The Beautiful Pass to save money in the long term.