The America's National Parks store at shop.americasnationalparks.org is the online shop of Eastern National, the non-profit cooperating association that runs bookstores inside many National Park Service sites. Buying from America's National Parks online sends proceeds back to park education and visitor programmes, which is the main reason to choose it over a general retailer selling similar hats.
The range is books, maps, the Passport To Your National Parks programme, Junior Ranger items, apparel and collectibles. Getting the order right mostly means understanding the Passport system and matching items to the parks you will actually visit.
The Passport To Your National Parks programme
The Passport is a small book you carry to parks and stamp with free cancellation stamps at visitor centres. America's National Parks sells the books, the annual stamp sets and the accessories.
Classic Passport — the compact original, organised by region, with pages for cancellations and space for stickers. It fits a jacket pocket and suits most visitors.
Collector's Edition — a larger, bound book with a page per park and far more room. Better for people planning to visit many sites over years.
Explorer edition — a ring-bound version to which pages can be added. Buy this if you are the type who will run out of room.
Check which edition you own before buying stamp sets. The annual sticker stamps are sized for the Classic and Collector's formats and the pack labels say which.
Stamp sets and completing a collection
Each year America's National Parks issues a set of ten commemorative stamps — one national, one per region. Back years are sold while stock lasts, so a collector filling gaps should buy the years they are missing now rather than later.
The stamps are stickers, not the ink cancellations you get free at the park. New buyers sometimes expect the stamp set to be the rubber stamps; it is not.
Maps, guides and books
The book section is the deepest part of the America's National Parks store. Trail guides, park histories, field guides and children's titles are chosen by park staff, which is why many are hard to find elsewhere.
For trip planning, buy the map before the guidebook. Topographic trail maps are what you need on the ground; a general guide is for the sofa beforehand.
Check the publication year on trail guides. Trails close and reroute, and a five-year-old guide can send you to a closed campground.
Junior Ranger and children's items
America's National Parks sells Junior Ranger vests, hats, badge boards and activity books. The badges themselves are earned at each park, free, by completing the park's programme — the store items are for displaying and carrying them.
Vests come in children's sizes; check the chart, because a vest with room for two years of badges is a better buy than a snug one.
Apparel, hats and collectibles
Park-specific T-shirts, hats, patches, pins, magnets and ornaments make up the gift side. Many are licensed with the arrowhead logo and made for America's National Parks, not sold in general stores.
Sizing on apparel is standard US unisex on most items. When a design is park-specific, stock is limited to a print run, so a sold-out shirt may not come back.
Pins and patches are cheap to post and easy to over-order. Decide on a display method — a board, a bag, a hat — before buying twenty.
Shipping and returns
Orders ship from the US. Delivery times have varied around holidays and the summer season, so order Passport books and stamps a couple of weeks before a trip rather than the week of.
Returns are generally accepted on unused items within a stated window; check the current policy, particularly for personalised or clearance goods.
Where the America's National Parks savings are
The 25% sitewide code is the one to try first on any mixed basket. If it is limited to a category or an event has ended, the books code covers the largest and priciest part of the store.
The $5 code beats a percentage only on very small orders: at 25% the break-even is $20, so on a single Passport book the $5 code may win, and on anything larger the percentage wins.
America's National Parks codes are usually one per order and rarely apply to already-reduced clearance. Membership discounts, where you hold one, generally cannot be combined with a code either.
Remember that a discount here comes out of the margin returned to parks. If you were going to buy anyway, use the code; it is not a reason to buy more.
Common questions
Which Passport should I buy from America's National Parks?
The Classic for most people; the Collector's Edition if you plan to visit dozens of sites; the Explorer if you want to add pages.
Are the stamp sets the same as the cancellation stamps at parks?
No. Stamp sets are annual commemorative stickers. Cancellation stamps are inked at park visitor centres for free.
Does buying from America's National Parks support the parks?
Yes. Eastern National is a non-profit cooperating association and proceeds support park programmes.
Can I earn Junior Ranger badges from the store?
No. Badges are earned in the parks. The store sells the vests, hats and books to hold and display them.
| Discount | Type | Get the deal |
|---|---|---|
| 25% off | Promo code | View at America's National Parks → |
| 15% off | Promo code | View at America's National Parks → |
| 15% off | Promo code | View at America's National Parks → |
| 15% off | Promo code | View at America's National Parks → |