For the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year, U.S. fifth graders can bring their families to national parks, wildlife refuges and other Department of the Interior managed public lands and waters for free! |
Fourth-grade students can get a free annual pass to visit more than 2,000 federal recreation areas with their families, classmates, and friends. The Every Kid Outdoors Program is an interagency collaboration between the Department of the Interior, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Forest Service that provides fourth graders with free access to explore, learn, and recreate in spectacular settings, including national parks, wildlife refuges, marine sanctuaries, and forests.
Many 4th graders missed out on using their Every Kid Outdoors Annual 4th Grade Pass during the 2019-2020 school year. A new voucher is now available for 5th-grade students for the rest of the school year!
| “Introducing fourth-grade students to America’s public lands provides them with limitless opportunities to have fun, be active, improve fitness, and learn critical skills,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. “Visits on class trips or family vacations to the rich variety of astonishing landscapes and historic treasures located on public lands will result in unforgettable experiences and, hopefully, forge lifelong connections to the outdoors.” |
The bipartisan John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act, which was signed into law by President Trump on March 12, 2019, authorized funding for Every Kid Outdoors Program for the next seven years.
To obtain the free pass, fourth-grade students visit the Every Kid Outdoors Program website, participate in a short educational activity, and download a voucher. The voucher is valid for multiple use between Sept. 1, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2021, to correspond to the traditional school year. The voucher may be exchanged for a keepsake pass at participating federal lands.
The voucher or pass grants free entry for fourth graders, all children under 16 in the group, and up to three accompanying adults (or an entire car for drive-in parks) to most federally managed lands and waters. The pass does not cover expanded amenity fees such as camping or boat rides.
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The great outdoors makes a great classroom. Fourth-grade educators are encouraged to take advantage of the wide range of educational programs and tools associated with the Every Kid Outdoors Program. Educational activities, field trip options, information and tools in English and Spanish, and the ability to print vouchers for passes for students are all available on the website.
The program focuses on children 10 years of age—the age of most fourth-graders—based on research that indicates children ages 9–11 are at a unique developmental stage in their learning where they begin to understand how the world around them works in more concrete ways and they are more receptive to engaging with nature and the environment. By focusing on this age group year after year, the program aims to ensure every child in the United States has the opportunity to visit their Federal lands and waters by the time he or she is 11 years old, thereby establishing a lifelong connection to enjoy and protect our American outdoor heritage.
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There are seven federal agencies participating in the Every Kid Outdoors Program Program. You can search for participating lands and waters (by the agency) through the links below:
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- U.S. Forest Service
- National Park Service
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
With this voucher, 5th graders and their families will have free access to national parks and other federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior from October 28, 2020, through August 31, 2021.
Get your voucher |
- Download the 5th-grade voucher. (1.04MB PDF).
- Print the voucher and keep it in a safe place until you are ready to use it.
- Plan your visit to a national park, wildlife refuge, or other federal lands.
- Show your voucher to a ranger when you enter. If there is no ranger, leave it on the dashboard of your car.
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