Have a 4th Grader? Get a FREE National Parks Pass
Fourth graders can get free family admission to more than 2,000 federal lands and waters — and there are several great places to use the pass within driving distance of Chambersburg.
Have a fourth grader in your house this year? You may have one of the best family-travel freebies around waiting for you.
Through the federal Every Kid Outdoors program, U.S. fourth graders — including homeschool-equivalent students — can receive a FREE 4th Grade Pass for participating national parks and other federal recreation sites.
We happen to have a fourth grader in our house this year, too, so we're planning to put ours to use with a visit to Shenandoah National Park on an upcoming day off from school. Once I started looking into the program, I realized there are quite a few places local families can visit with it — from battlefields and waterfalls to beaches, forests, historic forts, and wildlife refuges.
Graphic created with the assistance of AI. Locations are approximate; destination information was verified using official federal recreation sources.
🌲 WHAT IS EVERY KID OUTDOORS?
The Every Kid Outdoors program gives eligible fourth graders free access to more than 2,000 participating federal lands and waters during their fourth-grade school year and the following summer.
The 2026–27 pass is valid through August 31, 2027.
🎟️ How Do You Get the Free 4th Grade Pass?
Getting the pass is simple:
- Visit the official Every Kid Outdoors website.
- Have your fourth grader complete the short online activity.
- Download and print the paper voucher, or follow the instructions to obtain the digital 4th Grade Pass through Recreation.gov with an adult.
- Bring your valid pass with you when you visit participating federal recreation sites.
One important detail: if you're using the printable paper version, bring the actual paper pass. A photo or electronic image of the paper pass is not accepted as a substitute.
➡️ Get your Every Kid Outdoors pass here
👨👩👧👦 DOES THE WHOLE FAMILY GET IN FREE?
Often, yes!
If a site charges per vehicle, the fourth-grade pass admits the children and adults traveling together in one private, non-commercial passenger vehicle.
If a site charges per person, the pass admits the fourth grader, all children under 16, and up to three adults.
That means one free fourth-grade pass can sometimes save an entire family an entrance fee.
🗺️ Where Can Families Near Chambersburg Use It?
Here's where this gets especially useful for local families.
Every Kid Outdoors is much bigger than just traditional national parks. The pass can be used at participating sites managed by agencies including the National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Here are some of the best places within day-trip or weekend-trip distance of Chambersburg where the pass can save you an entrance fee.
🌄 Shenandoah National Park — Virginia
Regular entrance fee: $30 per private vehicle for 7 days
With the 4th Grade Pass: FREE entrance
Shenandoah is probably the most obvious "national park adventure" on this list — and a great way to make the fourth-grade pass feel special.
Families can explore Skyline Drive, scenic overlooks, waterfalls, hiking trails, wildlife, ranger programs, and picnic areas throughout the park.
If you're coming from the Chambersburg area, the Front Royal entrance takes you into the northern end of Skyline Drive. Dickey Ridge Visitor Center is just a few miles inside the park and makes a convenient first stop.
Shenandoah also offers a Junior Ranger program geared toward ages 7–12. Free Junior Ranger booklets are available at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center and Byrd Visitor Center, and kids can complete activities to earn a Junior Ranger badge.
➡️ Plan a Shenandoah visit
➡️ Shenandoah fees and passes
➡️ Shenandoah Junior Ranger program
⚔️ Antietam National Battlefield — Sharpsburg, Maryland
Regular entrance fee: $20 per private vehicle for 3 days
With the 4th Grade Pass: FREE entrance
Antietam is one of the closest places to Chambersburg where families can put the pass to use.
Start at the visitor center, where you'll find exhibits, a film, maps, and park staff who can help you plan your visit. Families can then explore the battlefield by car or on foot.
This is a particularly easy option for combining history with outdoor family time without committing to a full weekend away.
➡️ Explore Antietam National Battlefield
➡️ Antietam fees and passes
🥾 Harpers Ferry National Historical Park — West Virginia
Regular entrance fee: $20 per private vehicle for 3 days
With the 4th Grade Pass: FREE entrance
Harpers Ferry has a little bit of everything — history, museums, historic buildings, hiking, river views, and a walkable Lower Town.
The park's main visitor center at 171 Shoreline Drive offers parking and shuttle transportation to Lower Town, which can make the visit easier for families.
➡️ Plan a Harpers Ferry visit
➡️ Harpers Ferry fees and passes
🌊 Great Falls Park — Virginia
Regular entrance fee: $20 per private vehicle for 7 days
With the 4th Grade Pass: FREE entrance
Great Falls is a fun option when you want impressive scenery without planning an entire national park getaway.
The Potomac River moves through a dramatic rocky gorge here, and families can explore overlooks, trails, and ranger programs.
➡️ Explore Great Falls Park
➡️ Great Falls fees and passes
🌳 Prince William Forest Park — Virginia
Regular entrance fee: $20 per private vehicle for 7 days
With the 4th Grade Pass: FREE entrance
This may be one of the lesser-known destinations on the list, which also makes it a fun one to discover.
Prince William Forest Park offers forest trails, streams, historic sites, picnic areas, camping, and plenty of room for an outdoor family day.
➡️ Explore Prince William Forest Park
➡️ Prince William Forest Park fees and passes
🇺🇸 Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine — Baltimore, Maryland
Regular entrance fee: $15 per adult age 16+ for the Historic Zone
With the 4th Grade Pass: The fourth grader plus up to 3 adults can enter the fee area FREE
Fort McHenry is one of the most interesting money-saving options on this list.
The visitor center, museum, movie, and much of the park grounds are already free. The fee applies to the historic Star Fort area, where adults age 16 and older normally pay $15 each.
A valid fourth-grade America the Beautiful pass covers the pass holder and up to three adult guests at this per-person fee site.
➡️ Explore Fort McHenry
➡️ Fort McHenry fees and passes
🐴 Assateague Island National Seashore — Maryland
Regular entrance fee: $25 per private vehicle for 7 days
With the 4th Grade Pass: FREE entrance
Beach + wildlife + wild horses makes Assateague one of the most tempting weekend-trip options on the list.
Families can enjoy beaches, wildlife viewing, trails, paddling, camping, and opportunities to see Assateague's famous horses.
Keep in mind that the federal Assateague Island National Seashore and nearby Assateague State Park are different parks with different fee structures, so check your destination before you go.
➡️ Explore Assateague Island National Seashore
➡️ Assateague fees and passes
🦅 Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge — Cambridge, Maryland
Regular Wildlife Drive fee: $3 per private vehicle
With the 4th Grade Pass: FREE Wildlife Drive access with a valid federal recreation pass
The savings here are smaller, but Blackwater is a great reminder that the fourth-grade pass isn't just for National Park Service sites.
The refuge's 4-mile Wildlife Drive is known for birding and wildlife viewing, and the refuge is an important stop along the Atlantic Flyway.
The visitor center and other public areas outside the Wildlife Drive are already free.
➡️ Explore Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
💰 HOW MUCH COULD THIS FREE PASS SAVE?
Visit Shenandoah, Antietam, Harpers Ferry, Great Falls, Prince William Forest Park, Assateague, and Fort McHenry during your fourth grader's eligible year and the savings can add up quickly.
It's very realistic for a family to save more than $100 in entrance fees — with a pass that costs $0.
📍 What About Places North of Chambersburg?
You may notice that many of the places where the fourth-grade pass saves money are south or southeast of our area.
There are still plenty of great federal sites to the north and northeast — but several of them already have free general admission, so you don't actually need your fourth-grade pass to get in.
- Gettysburg National Military Park
- Eisenhower National Historic Site
- Catoctin Mountain Park
- Monocacy National Battlefield
- Raystown Lake
- Steamtown National Historic Site
Some museums, train rides, tours, parking areas, camping facilities, or other optional experiences at otherwise-free sites may still charge separate fees.
👩🏫 Teachers Can Get Passes for Their Students, Too
Parents aren't the only ones who can take advantage of this program.
Fourth-grade educators can download Every Kid Outdoors activities and generate individual paper passes for eligible students.
The educator definition is broader than classroom teachers, too. Qualifying adults can include teachers as well as adults working with fourth graders through youth-serving organizations, homeschool groups, camps, after-school programs, or religious organizations.
➡️ Every Kid Outdoors resources for educators
🏕️ What Doesn't the Pass Cover?
The pass can save a lot on entrance fees, but it doesn't make every part of a trip free.
It generally covers qualifying entrance fees and standard day-use fees. It does not automatically cover things such as:
- Camping
- Special tours
- Boat or ferry fees
- Some parking fees
- Reservation or timed-entry fees
- Concession-operated activities
- State, county, city, or private parks unless they specifically participate
Always check the individual park or recreation site's official website before leaving home.
🧭 BEFORE YOU GO
✓ Get your fourth grader's pass.
✓ Check current hours, alerts, and seasonal closures.
✓ Check whether reservations or separate activity tickets are required.
✓ Bring the actual paper pass if you're using the printable version.
✓ Ask whether the park offers a Junior Ranger program.
✓ Pack snacks, water, layers, and a little extra time to explore.
🌎 One Fourth-Grade Year, A Lot of Possibilities
The best part of Every Kid Outdoors may be that it gives families an extra reason to try somewhere new.
We'll be starting with Shenandoah, but Antietam, Harpers Ferry, Great Falls, Fort McHenry, Assateague, and several other federal destinations are now on our radar, too.
If your family has a fourth grader this year, don't let this free pass go unused. You have until August 31, 2027 to see where it can take you.
Prices, pass rules, and park information were checked for the 2026–27 school year but can change. Always verify fees, hours, closures, reservations, and pass acceptance directly with the destination before visiting.
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