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Entrance fees to national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands and waters managed by the Department of the Interior are waived for fifth grade students and their families from now until Aug. 31, 2021.

Interior Secretary David L. Bernhardt issued a Secretary’s Order that ensures fifth grade students who may have been unable to make full use of the Every Kid Outdoors annual fourth grade pass during the 2019-2020 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic will have free access to national parks and other Federal lands managed by the Department during this academic year.

A majority of Interior-managed lands remained accessible to the public at the onset of the pandemic to serve as places of respite and rejuvenation and allow for social distancing. Services were limited for visitors, in particular impacting the Every Kid Outdoors Program.

Nearly all park units and locations are currently accessible with many having restored services for the public to enjoy following proper public health and safety guidelines.

Families and students can download fifth grade passes online at nps.gov/kids.

Through the Every Kid Outdoors Program for fourth grade students, entrance fees for the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and standard amenity recreation fees for the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation are waived, providing opportunities to explore, learn, and recreate in spectacular settings. The pass does not cover expanded amenity fees such as camping or boat rides.

The program focuses on children around 10 years of age based on research that indicates children ages 9–11 are at a unique developmental stage in their learning where they begin to understand how the world around them works in more concrete ways and they are more receptive to engaging with nature and the environment. By focusing on this age group year after year, the program aims to ensure every child in the United States has the opportunity to visit their federal lands and waters by the age of 11 years, hopefully establishing lifelong bonds to the country’s natural and cultural heritage.

Of the three National Park Service units on the Outer Banks, only Wright Brothers National Memorial charges an entrance fee.

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