When we were discussing our travel plans out west and once we decided that we would be going from NJ/PA to California, we realized that we would have the great opportunity to see so many things we have never seen before! Some of the major things on our list included: Yellowstone National Park, The Grand Tetons, Mount Rushmore, and the giant Redwoods and Sequoias. After a little bit of planning this unbelievable road trip of a lifetime, we realized that we kinda just wanted to see as many National Parks as we could!

Gabby found herself on the National Parks website ( https://www.nps.gov/index.htm ) looking at all these incredible landscapes we had only ever seen in pictures, starting Pinterest boards for road trips and National Parks, and came across the America the Beautiful annual pass. The pass covers entrance fees at National Parks, National Historic Sites, National Battlefields, National Recreation Areas, and National Forests and grasslands. The regular annual pass allows two people to sign it, and is valid for up to 4 adults, and only costs $80! There are also passes for seniors (62+) that are for lifetime, and military passes that are free annually, 4th graders can get a free pass for the year, and also passes for the disabled and volunteers. (https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm )

With 10 parks on our list for our way to California alone, it was a no-brainer to get ourselves a National Parks pass for this year! We got our pass on our trip to Shenandoah, and in the month since have also visited a few other sites. The savings add up fast! Shenandoah ($30), Antietam ($15) and we’ve gone twice, Great Falls ($15), Harper’s Ferry ($15). In one month, we have almost spent $80 in entrance fees.