In honor of Veterans Day, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced on Friday that lifetime passes to public lands are now available for veterans and Gold Star families.
The Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks Act, passed in December 2021, authorized free lifetime access for veterans and Gold Star Families, and went into effect on Veterans Day.
The new lifetime passes cover entrance fees and standard amenity fees at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites.
“Today and every day we honor the sacrifices of our veterans and those in uniform who keep our country safe,” Haaland said in a video announcement Friday. She noted that she and her siblings grew up in a military family — her father served in the Marines and her mother served in the Navy.
“Im so happy that starting this week, veterans and Gold Star families are eligible for a lifetime pass that gives them free access to our national parks, wildlife refuges and national monuments,” she said.
Gold Star families are those who lost a family member in military service, thus receiving a Gold Star from the U.S. Department of Defense in honor of their sacrifice.
