March 7, 2026
Every Kid Outdoors: Your Fourth Grader's Free National Park Pass
Somewhere between homework packets and standardized tests, there's a federal program that hands every fourth grader in America a free pass to more than 2,000 public lands. No catch. No income requirement. No lottery. If your kid is in fourth grade, they qualify — and the pass covers your whole family. Here's everything you need to know about the Every Kid Outdoors program.
Glacier National Park, Montana — one of 2,000+ sites accessible with a free Every Kid Outdoors pass. NPS Photo.
What Is Every Kid Outdoors?
Every Kid Outdoors is a federal program that provides a free annual pass to every US fourth grader, granting free entry to all federally managed lands and waters that charge entrance or day-use fees. That includes national parks, national forests, wildlife refuges, marine sanctuaries, and Army Corps of Engineers recreation areas — more than 2,000 sites across all 50 states.
The pass isn't just for the student. At sites that charge per vehicle, the pass covers everyone in the car. At sites that charge per person, it admits the fourth grader, all children under 16, and up to three accompanying adults. For a family of five visiting Yellowstone, that's $35 saved on a single visit — and the pass works all year long.
How to Get the Pass
The process takes about five minutes:
- Visit everykidoutdoors.gov with your fourth grader.
- Complete a short online activity about public lands. It's educational, not a test — there are no wrong answers.
- Print the paper voucher. This is critical — digital copies on phones or tablets are not accepted at park gates.
- At any participating federal site, exchange the printed voucher for an official Annual 4th Grade Pass.
The pass is valid from September 1 through August 31 of the school year, covering fall break, winter break, spring break, and the entire summer. The current pass period runs through August 31, 2026.
Acadia National Park, Maine — where Cadillac Mountain catches the first sunrise in the US each autumn. NPS / Kristi Rugg.
Who Qualifies?
Every US fourth grader, regardless of school type. Public school, private school, charter school, homeschool — all are eligible. Homeschooled children and “free-choice learners” who are approximately 10 years old qualify without any school enrollment documentation.
There is no income requirement, no application form, and no limit on the number of passes issued. Approximately four million fourth graders are eligible each year. During the 2023–2024 school year, nearly 168,000 passes were issued — a 17% increase over the previous year — but that still means millions of families are leaving free park access on the table.
Where Does the Pass Work?
The pass is honored by seven federal agencies, not just the National Park Service:
- 1.National Park Service — 63 national parks plus hundreds of monuments, seashores, and historic sites
- 2.US Forest Service — 154 national forests and 20 grasslands
- 3.Bureau of Land Management — 245 million acres of public land, mostly in the West
- 4.US Fish & Wildlife Service — 568 national wildlife refuges
- 5.Bureau of Reclamation — dams, reservoirs, and recreation areas across 17 western states
- 6.US Army Corps of Engineers — lakes and waterways popular for boating and fishing
- 7.NOAA — national marine sanctuaries along both coasts
One important caveat: the pass covers entrance and standard day-use fees only. It does not cover camping fees, boat launch fees, special tours, parking at concession-run lots, or ferry tickets. Budget separately for those.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in America with over 13 million annual visitors. Photo by Kristina Plaas.
How It Started
In February 2015, President Barack Obama announced the “Every Kid in a Park” initiative, timed to build momentum toward the National Park Service's centennial in 2016. The first passes became available on September 1, 2015, with the inaugural event held at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area outside Las Vegas.
For its first four years, the program was renewed annually by executive action. That changed in March 2019, when Congress passed the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which codified the program into law and renamed it “Every Kid Outdoors.” That legislation authorized the program for seven years.
In January 2025, the EXPLORE Act extended the program through 2031. And as of September 2025, the Every Kid Outdoors Reauthorization Act has been introduced in Congress, which would make the program permanent and expand eligibility to include fifth graders. That bill is still pending.
The bipartisan support is notable. Over ten years and three administrations, the program has survived every budget cycle and political shift. Public lands have a way of cutting across party lines.
10 Tips to Make the Most of the Pass
1. Print the voucher before you leave home. This is the number one mistake families make. Park rangers cannot accept digital copies on a phone or tablet. Print it, fold it, put it in the glove box.
2. One pass covers the whole family. You only need one fourth grader's pass per visit. It admits up to three adults plus all kids under 16.
3. Think beyond the big-name parks. Yellowstone and Yosemite are extraordinary, but national forests, wildlife refuges, and BLM lands are often less crowded and just as beautiful. Your pass works at all of them.
4. Pair it with the Junior Ranger program. Most NPS sites offer free Junior Ranger activity booklets. Kids complete nature-based activities and earn an official badge from a ranger. It's free and gives the visit educational structure.
5. Use NPS fee-free days strategically. The National Park Service offers several fee-free days each year (MLK Day, National Parks Week in April, Veterans Day, and others). On those days everyone gets in free — save your Every Kid Outdoors pass for the days when fees are charged.
6. Call ahead for concession-run sites. A few sites operated by private concessionaires may not honor the pass. A quick phone call or website check before you drive prevents disappointment.
7. Plan around the school calendar. The pass runs September through August, so it covers every school break plus the entire summer. Many families plan their big national park trip for summer, when the pass is still valid and kids are out of school.
8. Look for ranger-led programs. Free guided hikes, campfire talks, and night sky programs are available at most parks. They're the best-kept secret in the NPS system and they make a visit unforgettable for kids.
9. Make it a geography lesson. Before the trip, explore the park's state on our Fast Facts pages or play a round of Recon Photos to see if your family can identify states from NPS park imagery. It turns the car ride into a study session.
10. Don't wait until summer. Many parks are less crowded and more magical in the off-season. Fall colors in the Smokies, winter solitude at Bryce Canyon, spring wildflowers at Death Valley — the pass works year round.
Arches National Park, Utah — home to more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches. NPS / Veronica Verdin.
Why Fourth Grade?
Fourth grade is the year most US students first study state and national geography in a structured way. It's part of the national geography standards for that grade level. The program was designed to meet kids at exactly the moment they're learning about the physical and political geography of the United States — and then put them in the middle of it.
Research consistently shows that outdoor experiences during childhood create lasting connections to nature and conservation. A nine- or ten-year-old is old enough to hike real trails, read interpretive signs, and remember the trip decades later, but young enough that the experience still feels like pure wonder.
The pending reauthorization bill would expand eligibility to fifth graders as well — an acknowledgment that one year isn't always enough to plan a trip, and that COVID-era disruptions caused many students to miss their window entirely.
The Bigger Picture
The United States manages more than 640 million acres of public land — roughly 28% of the country's total land area. That's an inheritance that belongs to every American, but it only matters if people actually use it. National parks saw over 325 million recreation visits in 2023, but access isn't evenly distributed. Urban families, low-income families, and communities without a tradition of park visitation are significantly underrepresented.
Every Kid Outdoors is one of the few federal programs that directly addresses this gap. The pass removes the cost barrier entirely — and because it goes to every fourth grader regardless of background, it normalizes the idea that public lands belong to everyone.
With nearly 168,000 passes issued in the 2023–2024 school year and millions more eligible, there's still enormous room for growth. Many families simply don't know the program exists. Teachers, homeschool groups, scout leaders, and anyone who works with kids in that age range can help close the awareness gap.
Yellowstone National Park — America's first national park, established in 1872. NPS / Jim Peaco.
About the Photos
All images in this article are sourced from the National Park Service API (developer.nps.gov) and are public domain under Creative Commons licensing. The same API powers our Recon Photos game, where players identify US states from NPS park photography. Individual photographer credits are noted in each caption.
Learn the Geography Before You Go
Planning a park trip? Explore each state's parks, demographics, climate, and agriculture on our Fast Facts pages, test your map knowledge with Just States, or see if you can identify a state from a single park photo in Recon Photos. Every national park in our game uses real NPS photography — the same views your family will see from the trail.