If you have a 4th grade student you can get a FREE park pass to all national parks! Passes are good from September to August each year for current 4th grade students. (homeschooled students too!)

Get your free pass here.

I believe students in other grades can get discounted passes, but to my knowledge only 4th graders get the free year long pass.

The pass is good for everyone in the same car as the 4th grader- who must be present at the time of park entry.

Here are the official rules from the website:

Rules and instructions

Official rules

• The pass is for U.S. fourth-grade (or home-school equivalent) students.
• The pass is for the 2021 to 2022 school year. It expires August 31, 2022.
• Students can’t transfer the pass to anyone else.
• We can’t accept electronic versions of this paper for access or to exchange for a pass.
• No refunds are given for previously purchased passes, or if you forget your pass when you visit.
• If you lose your pass, get a new one by visiting the website and signing up again.
• Educators can get one paper pass for each of their fourth-grade students.
• This program only provides passes for fourth graders.

How it works

• Show your pass to a ranger when you enter. If there is no ranger, leave it on the dashboard of your car.
• If you visit a site that charges entrance fees per person— The pass admits all children under 16 and up to three adults for free.
• If your group visits a site that charges vehicle entrance fees – The pass admits all children under 16 and all adults in up to one passenger vehicle. Commercial vehicles can’t use a pass to get in.
• If you arrive at a site on bicycle— The pass admits all children under 16 and up to three adults on bicycles.
• The pass doesn’t cover things like parking fees, camping, boats, and special tours. Also, some sites are managed by private operators. They may not honor the pass. Check with the site ahead of time to find out.
• The pass doesn’t cover fees for local, city, or state parks and recreation areas unless they say that they accept this pass.
• Paper passes can be exchanged for plastic passes at certain sites.

Plan your trip!

You can go to the Park Finder website and search different criteria to find parks such as by state, by activity, by zip code or by park name.

This is a great resource for all students and their family- especially home schooled students!