what exactly is a senior pass? a couple of years ago I got a pass of some kind at a national monument for 10 dollars and it was a golden age pass. what is the difference?
From nps.gov:
A pass is your ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. Each pass covers entrance fees at national parks and national wildlife refuges as well as standard amenity fees (day use fees) at national forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A pass covers entrance, standard amenity fees and day use fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas (or up to four adults at sites that charge per person). Children age 15 or under are admitted free.
Senior Pass
...$10 Lifetime pass
...For U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over.
...May be obtained online, in person at a federal recreation site or through the mail. The cost of obtaining a Senior Pass through the mail or online is twenty dollars ($20). Ten ($10) for the Senior Pass and ten ($10) for processing the application. Applicants must provide documentation of age and residency or citizenship.
...May provide a 50 percent discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch, and specialized interpretive services.
...Generally does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessioners.
...Note: Golden Age Passports are no longer sold. However, these passes will continue to be honored according to the provisions of the pass.
(The Golden Age Passports gave more discounts on camping at the parks, etc., yes?)
From a blog:
Good news, bad news? The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill last Tuesday that could pump as much as $20 million per year into the nation’s parks. The kicker? It means increasing the cost of senior citizen lifetime park passes up from the current $10 to $80. If law, the bill would send $10 million per year to the park service directly. Up to an additional $10 million from sales of the passes would flow into the parks provided matching funds appear from private donors.