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Saving the Money
It’s no secret that many in the points and miles world are cheap, and we are no different. We do this to save money, and this money saving hack gets our kids multiple souvenirs from each National Park for less than 2 dollars per park.
The Stamps
At National Park properties, including most monuments, you can purchase a National Parks Passport. Each location also has a cancellation stamp station, where you can stamp the park and the date you visited in your Passport for FREE. This is such a fun memory, and each person in our family has one. We wanted each kid to have one of the adult ones so they could use them in their adult life as well.
The Coins
Recently, the National Parks have created these small coins. They are not at all the locations yet but in most parks they are ONE DOLLAR! The kids can collect these in their coin books, and keep a great memory of the trip for one single dollar.
Junior Ranger
The Junior Ranger program has long been a favorite of mine, in fact I still have some badges from when I was a kid! This FREE program allows the kids to complete several activities about the park and then earn a Junior Ranger badge. Our kids love doing these programs and I am thrilled that they are learning more about the park and not just whining about having to walk.
Conclusion
When you factor in the cost of the Stamp Passport, which is currently 12.95, and split it amongst the parks you visit, that’s where we got our total over a dollar per park. However, with the coins being one dollar, and our kids doing the Junior Ranger program at each park, they are walking out with a Ranger Badge, a Commemorative Coin, and a Stamp in their book for one dollar each time we darken the door of a National Park Visitor Center. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a steal of a deal!
