National Parks Pass Giveaway! (And a Yearly Subscription)
To mark National Park Week, we’re giving away one federal lands pass and one free year of our paid subscription.
Once upon a time, national parks were free. You showed up, drove in, looked at a mountain, maybe saw a bear, probably had a life changing experience, and went home. That was it.
Then in 1908, a shift began when Mount Rainier decided to charge 50 cents to help fix the roads. It wasn’t a grand policy shift. Just your classic “these potholes aren’t going to fill themselves” situation.
By the 1960s, with more people visiting parks, Congress started testing entrance fees at more sites. The money went straight to the federal treasury. Parks themselves didn’t get to keep a dime of it directly.
Then came 1996 and the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program, which basically said, “Hey, what if we let parks keep some of that money and pretend we’re funding them?” It was supposed to be temporary. In 2004, Congress made it permanent.
And now?
$35 to enter a park (and rising).
$8 to click “book now” on a campsite.
And half the fees go to companies you’ve never heard of.
So in …