What's changing with the America the Beautiful pass in 2026?Updated 3 months ago
The Department of the Interior announced several changes to the Interagency Pass Program for 2026. Here's what you need to know.
2025 Passes Are Still Valid
All America the Beautiful Annual Passes purchased in 2025 will continue to be honored through their normal expiration date. You may be asked to show ID so staff can match it to the pass, but no additional fees should be charged to 2025 pass holders.
New Pricing Structure
- Resident Annual Pass: $80 (for U.S. residents with valid government-issued ID)
- Non-Resident Annual Pass: $250 (provides the same access as the Resident pass)
Who Qualifies as a Resident?
You are eligible for the Resident Annual Pass if you can provide a valid form of ID such as a state or territory issued driver's license or ID card, Legal Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), or U.S. Passport Book/Card. Immigration status does not impact eligibility — as long as you meet the ID requirement, you are considered a U.S. Resident for the purpose of the Interagency Pass Program.
Non-Resident Surcharge
Non-residents without any annual pass face an additional $100 per-person surcharge at the 11 most-visited parks: Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Zion, Acadia, Glacier, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Everglades.
This surcharge is on top of the standard entrance fee. Children 15 and under remain free. Purchasing either the Resident or Non-Resident Annual Pass avoids this surcharge entirely.
Other Changes
- Digital passes: Being rolled out via Recreation.gov. US Park Pass currently sells the physical card version only.
- Motorcycle access: A single pass now covers 2 motorcycles (previously 1).
- Fee-free days: New "patriotic" fee-free days are limited to U.S. residents and permanent residents only.
Still Have Questions?
We're tracking all questions about the 2026 changes and will email passholders with a clear summary as soon as we receive complete written guidance from the agencies. Contact us at [email protected] and we'll make sure your question is addressed.