Free Pass for 4th Graders!
4th Grade Families - today is the day! Starting today - September 1 - you can sign up for your 4th grade child’s FREE passes to visit US National Parks and some California State Parks!
My oldest is in 4th grade this year and I’ve been counting down the days all summer. :)
Here’s how it works:
🌲4TH GRADE NATIONAL PARK PASS
If you have a 4th grader, visit EveryKidOutdoors.gov - you have to sign up online + print the pass BEFORE you show up the National Park entrance. There’s a cute little activity for your 4th grader on the web site to help them get excited about their year of adventures.
Your 4th graders’ pass will provide free admission for your whole car, or if it’s a per-person fee, it includes all children under 16 + up to 3 adults.
The program runs September 1 - August 31. If you have a current 4th grader, sign up now! By the way, this program works for homeschool families too. :)
Here are some local Southern California locations where you can use the pass for a day trip:
Joshua Tree National Park - it costs $30 to enter Joshua Tree for the day, so the 4th grade pass is worth getting just to visit Joshua Tree. It’s best to visit Joshua Tree when the weather is cooler - try November - March. (If you leave - think 6-8am and don’t mind driving home in the evening, it’d doable to visit Joshua Tree in a day. You can also make a weekend out of it, staying there or in Palm Springs.)
Cabrillo National Monument - Point Loma, San Diego. Visit the historic lighthouse, learn about the explorer (Cabrillo) at the visitor center, and go explore the tide pools at low tide. (We got engaged here, so I’m biased, but this is one of our favorite spots in San Diego!)
all US Forest Service sites in San Bernardino, Angeles, Cleveland + Los Padres National Forests. The 4th Grade pass counts as an “Adventure Pass” here. The first few times we visited Millard Falls in Pasadena, we were stumped about how to pay for an Adventure Pass - it’s required, but there’s no way to purchase one on-site. Thankfully, the 4th Grade pass has you covered for the year. If you ever visit Forest Service sites (perhaps to visit creeks or go on hikes), it’s worth signing up and just keeping it in your glove compartment in case you need it. (No 4th grader? You can also buy an Adventure Pass online, from REI, or often from nearby gas stations).
sort of: Channel Islands National Park - they don’t charge admission here because most people pay to ride over on a boat, but I couldn’t make a list of California national parks and omit this one!
Here are some other national parks that you could visit on a weekend trip from Southern California:
Sequoia / Kings Canyon National Park
Death Valley National Park
Yosemite National Park
Pinnacles National Park
Zion or Bryce Canyon National Park (these are in Southern Utah but could be visited on a long weekend)
And of course, there are over 60 national parks and even more national monuments throughout the country, as you plan trips for the next year! (The pass is good through August 31, so you could use it next summer.)
🌲4TH GRADE CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS PASS:
In addition, SOME (not all) California State Parks also offer free admission for 4th graders + families. The program is very similar to the NP program - sign up online, print, works for your car/family. Visit https://www.parks.ca.gov/AdventurePass for more info.
There are 19 in all - participating state parks in SoCal include:
- Silver Strand State Beach (Coronado - San Diego)
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (east of San Diego)
- Cuyamaca Rancho State Park (Julian - San Diego County)
- Citrus State Historic Park (Riverside)
- Chino Hills State Park (east of Los Angeles)
(Plus several others in Central/Northern California)
Please share with your friends who have 4th graders!