The price for a lifetime Senior Pass to the national parks will jump from $10 to $80 on August 28/NPS

If you're 62 or older and don't already have a Senior Pass to the National Park System, or will turn 62 before August 28, you might want to buy one before the price rockets from $10 for the rest of your life to $80 on that day.

While the $10 pass, instituted in 1994, long has been viewed as extremely undervalued, opposition to an increase from groups such as AARP has kept the fee so low. But Congress changed that last year when legislation written by U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican, called for the $80 fee.

Under the National Park Service Centennial Act, those turning 62 or older can either pay $80 for a lifetime pass to the parks or $20 for an annual pass. Those who opt for the $20 annual pass after four years can trade in those four passes for a lifetime pass at no additional charge. Up to $10 million of revenues from sales of the senior pass will go into a Second Century Endowment for the National Park Service to be managed by the National Park Foundation. Any revenues above $10 million would be deposited into a Centennial Challenge Fund for projects in the parks; those dollars would need to be matched by private dollars before they could be spent.

Tom Crosson, chief spokesman of the National Park Service, previously had said the $80 fee wouldn't kick in until October 1, but on Monday, the Park Service sent out a release stating the change will take effect August 28.

Previously purchased lifetime Golden Age or Senior Passes will be honored for the lifetime of the pass holder.

The Senior Pass can be used at sites managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

The pass can be purchased for $10 before August 28 at a national park or other federal recreation area that charges an entrance or standard amenity (day-use) fee. The pass can also be obtained by mail or online for $10 before August 28, but there will be an additional $10 charge for processing, for a total of $20. Due to expected high order volume, there could be delays with online and mail-order processing of up to several months.

The Senior Pass covers all entrance fees and standard amenity (day-use) fees and may provide senior discounts for things such as tours or campsites. The pass also waives the entrance fee for travelling companions. At per-vehicle fee sites, the pass admits the pass holder and all passengers in a noncommercial vehicle. At a per-person fee site, the pass admits the pass holder and three other adults. Children under 16 are admitted free.