YOUR AD HERE »

National parks are giving veterans, Gold Star families free lifetime passes

And not just on Veterans Day, but everyday after it too

John Meyer
Denver Post

Admission to Colorado’s four national parks and others across the nation will be free on Wednesday in commemoration of Veterans Day, and for veterans, it will mark the first day of lifetime free access.

The free entries apply to Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde national parks as well as the Colorado National Monument and other public lands managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. It applies to all veterans and Gold Star families (immediate family members of veterans killed in the line of duty).

“With the utmost respect and gratitude, we are granting veterans and Gold Star families free access to the iconic and treasured lands they fought to protect starting this Veterans Day and every single day thereafter,” Interior Secretary David L. Bernhardt said in a news release.



For non-veterans, annual passes good at all national parks currently cost $80, and one for Rocky Mountain National Park alone costs $70 per year. Seniors age 62 and over can buy lifetime passes good at all parks for a one-time charge of $80. The current single-day price is $25.

Wednesday will be the last free day at Rocky Mountain National Park this year. Other free days are Jan. 20 (Martin Luther King Day); April 18 (the first day of National Park Week); Aug. 25 (marking the date the parks service was created in 1916); and Sept. 26 (National Public Lands Day).



Read more via The Denver Post.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.