2026 National Park Passes: Changes for International Visitors and US Residents
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Wowza. There’s been a big change in the America the Beautiful pass system announced by the US Department of the Interior in 2026.
Some of these changes are good, some are… well, they’re definitely going to impact people’s vacations.
I have purchased an America the Beautiful Pass every single year since 2019 to visit our nation’s gorgeous National Parks, Monuments, Forest lands, and more – and I think it’s one of the best purchases you can make every year if you value getting outside and visiting the parks!
I’m going to talk about what’s changing, what’s not changing, and what you really need to know about the new park passes: from physical to digital cards, how to avoid ugly pass artwork, what international visitors need to know (buy a pass this December!!), and more.
What’s the “America the Beautiful” Pass?
The America the Beautiful (ATB) Interagency Pass is a pass that lets you enjoy certain public lands without paying an extra entrance or per person fee. It covers one vehicle and all occupants of the vehicle, or 4 people at per person fee sites.
Sometimes the ATB pass can give you discounts on camping or other site fees, but it’s generally only for the Senior & Access Passes.
Those public lands include:
- National Parks
- National Historic Parks & Battlefields
- National Seashores
- National Monuments
- U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Land
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land
- Bureau of Reclamation
- US Army of Corps of Engineers
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
There are multiple variants of the ATB pass:
- Annual – $80
- Annual Senior – $20
- Lifetime Senior – $80 (one time payment)
- Military Annual – Free
- Military Lifetime – Free
- Access Pass – US citizens & permanent residents with a permanent disability – Free
- 4th Grade Pass – For 4th graders & their families – Free
- Volunteer Pass (for those with 250+ service hours) – Free
The ATB Annual Pass is good for a full calendar year, through the end of the purchase month in the following year. So, if you bought it in June 2025, the pass will be valid through June 30, 2026.
The other variants of the passes have their own rules and proof of qualification. Check out this page here for more info.
As you can see, $80 for a full year of park visits is a really amazing deal. Basically, if you visit 3 parks or a park 3 times a year, it pays for itself, since most parks have entry fees ranging from $20-35/vehicle.
America the Beautiful Passes do not let you into a park if you don’t have a reservation and the park requires one – it just prevents you from paying the entrance fee. So always make sure you get a reservation if it’s required.
Physical Cards – And Why You Should Buy One
Up until the new announcement for 2026, you could only get a physical ATB pass.
I’m very happy they’re keeping the physical cards because I really like to buy them in-person at the first park I visit for the year after my current pass expires because that park service site gets to keep 80% of the funds generated from the sale of the pass.
Because the federal government keeps decreasing the parks budget, I want my money to go directly to the park and that park’s programs and upkeep vs. a government agency (DOI) overhead or Booz-Allen (a gov’t contractor that runs recreation.gov along with military & weapons contracts). Buying digital or online doesn’t directly support a park.
And something that’s cool? You can now register a physical pass to your recreation.gov account – so you have both a physical and digital copy if something happens to your physical card or you accidentally leave it at home.
Plus, I do a craft project with each ATB pass I retire in my journal: it’s a really nice memory keepsake! I write down all the parks I visited in that year and any distinct memories from those trips.
Don’t want to wait to visit a park to buy your pass? You can grab one in-person at your local REI (might want to call ahead for availability).
Digital Cards – New for 2026
New in 2026 is the option to have a digital park pass. Like I said above, I would strongly urge you to purchase a physical pass at a park service site so they can keep the majority of the funds.
But, being able to link your physical pass to a recreation.gov account is definitely a good idea. Especially if you’re someone with multiple vehicles or you fly to visit parks a lot and sometimes forget to pack the park pass (I know I have before).
If for some reason you don’t want to support a park in person or buy at REI, you can buy one digitally through recreation.gov.
Here’s a photo guide of how you register your physical pass as a digital pass.
- You’ll need to download the recreation.gov app and make an account.
- Click the “reservations” tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Click “connect an existing physical pass”
4. Fill out the information on your physical pass in the connect pass online form.
You’ll use the code underneath the bottom barcode as the pass number, and you’ll choose the “punch out” month as the expiration month.
5. And that’s it! Now you’ll see the physical pass under your “passes” on your recreation.gov account.
When you click on the pass, you’ll see the following screen:
You can print the pass from here onto printer paper or add it to your digital wallet. There’s a QR code displayed in the app that seems like you will show the entrance station ranger and they will scan it to record your entrance visit.
What’s Changing for US Residents?
Motorcycles
In 2026 you’ll be able to use one ATB pass for 2 motorcycles vs. the previous one motorcycle per pass.
Park Fee-Free Days
There are 5 more fee-free days in 2026 than there were in 2025. US citizens and residents will get free entry on these days (nonresidents will not). Even if you don’t have an ATB pass, you can get into parks for free on these days.
These are the fee-free days for 2026:
- February 16: Presidents Day
- May 25: Memorial Day
- June 14: Flag Day
- July 3–5: Independence Day weekend
- August 25: 110th Birthday of the National Park Service
- September 17: Constitution Day
- October 27: Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday
- November 11: Veterans Day
2026 Pass Artwork
I’m personally not a fan of 2 old men presidents (Washington & DJT) who have not once helped our public lands being the faces on the 2026 Annual Pass. I’d much rather see the nonpartisan, non-propagandic beauty of the parks highlighted like in previous years (where contest winners got to have their artwork displayed on the pass).
There were 2 pass artwork options highlighted in this video posted by the DOI, but National Parks Traveler confirmed with the DOI that the imagery of Glacier National Park is only for the non-resident annual pass.
So, I’ll be purchasing a pass in December 2025 to avoid having the old men on my card (seriously, I cannot deface my cute memory journal) and I’ll do another year with the cool flamingo (?) from Everglades, and that pass will be good through 12/31/2026.
What’s Changing for Non-US Residents?
Basically, the only thing changing is pricing and free entry. According to the DOI, you’ll need to provide a US zip code to purchase the resident pass online and provide US-issued photo identification to prove your US residency. If you don’t have a US zip code or photo ID, you’ll be considered a non-resident.
Non-residents also will be charged normal pricing on the resident fee-free days (meaning non-residents don’t get in for free).
America the Beautiful Pass Fee Increase
Beginning in 2026, non-residents will pay $250 for an America the Beautiful Annual Pass. The benefits listed above are the same.
I still highly recommend purchasing an ATB pass if you are a non-resident and will be traveling to the US to visit parks, and here’s why…
$100 Visitor Surcharge for Certain Parks
If you do not have a non-resident ATB pass and you are not a US resident, you will be charged the park entrance fee PLUS a $100 surcharge PER PERSON to visit these 11 national parks:
- Acadia National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Everglades National Park
- Glacier National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Zion National Park
If you have an annual non-resident America the Beautiful pass, you do not have to pay the additional $100 per person surcharge, and your park entry fee is covered by the pass.
What You Should Do in December 2025
If you are not a US citizen or permanent resident and you are planning to visit the United States and the National Parks in 2026, I highly recommend you purchase an ATB pass in December 2025. Just do it on recreation.gov if you aren’t in the US right now and can’t support a park in-person.
You will only pay the current pricing of $80, and the pass will be valid until December 31, 2026. Something that hasn’t been addressed by the DOI is if they will be checking citizen/resident status for the additional surcharge for everyone – even if they have a 2025 pass. I honestly can’t imagine this happening at most parks, but I don’t think we’ll know for certain given how erratic this administration is. Either way, you’ll still save money on the annual pass if you buy now.
If you are a US resident, I would buy in December 2025 if you don’t want the new artwork of George Washington & DJT on the pass. Buy it at REI or at the closest park service site near you!
