The U.S. National Parks - A national treasure run by the U.S. National Park Service since its inception in 1916. Comprised of 391 areas and encompassing over 84 million acres. They are located in every state (except Delaware), the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These sites include national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and even the White House. You would be hard pressed to not find a national park in an area near you.
So now that you know that you have many diverse destinations are available to you, be prepared to be astonished at exactly how inexpensive it is to visit any of these parks. The most "expensive" pass is the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass. Priced at , and valid for a year from the date of purchase, it will admit you and 3 other adults into a national park or recreation area as long as you are in a non-commercial vehicle. Bringing the kids? No problem. Children under the age of 16 are completely FREE.
If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident over the age of 62, you'll qualify for the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass. This is a LIFETIME pass and has the same features as the regular annual pass mentioned above except that there is a onetime charge of only ! PLUS, it also provides a 50% discount on some of the "Amenity Fees" charged for facilities and services such as: camping, swimming, boat launch, and specialized interpretive services. You won't find a better deal than that anywhere!
If you are permanently disabled, your lifetime pass is completely FREE of charge. If you volunteer your time and accumulate the designated amount of hours, you will earn a FREE annual pass in recognition of your service. You can purchase these passes in person at the park or by calling 1-888-ASK USGS, Ext. 1, or via the Internet at http://store.usgs.gov/pass.
Finally, if you prefer to not incur the expense of a hotel, how about camping instead? Many of the parks have camping facilities and some even offer reservations. Either way, be sure to check out www.recreation.gov. There you'll find all of the information you'll need to explore not only the national park and recreation areas, but also find great information on scenic highways, tours, reservations and more.
Due to rising fuel costs and the weak dollar, many Americans are considering scrapping their vacation plans. Sharpen the pencil, revisit the budget and consider at visiting one U.S. National Parks and Recreation areas this summer!
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