Lifetime National Park passes provided to Veterans at Phoenix VA facilities
During the first three months of 2023, the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest partnered with the Phoenix VA Health Care System to provide 590 Lifetime National Parks Passes to Veterans at three health care facilities.
Through this partnership, representatives from the U.S. Forest Service were able to get these benefits directly into the hands of hundreds of Veterans by setting up in locations where many Veterans pass through the doors daily.
These representatives, some of whom are Veterans themselves, provided lifetime passes to employees and patients who, with these American the Beautiful Military Lifetime Passes, have free access to the approximately 2,000 public locations across the country. These locations host a wide variety of activities to fit any lifestyle—from serene to high octane, including hiking, fishing, paddling, biking, hunting, stargazing, camping, and much more. There are 22 National Parks located in Arizona alone, which include 46 National Historic Landmarks and 10 National Natural Landmarks.
These passes cover entrance fees at national parks and wildlife refuges, standard amenity fees (day use fees) at national forests, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A pass includes 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). It also provides the pass owner a discount on some expanded amenity fees such as camping.
The Forest Service team visited the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center Jan. 13, the Phoenix 32nd Street VA Clinic Feb. 16, and the Staff Sergeant Alexander W. Conrad Veterans Affairs Health Care Clinic March 16. While this ends the planned visits to hand out these America the Beautiful Lifetime Passes, there are already discussions around further joint events.