USACE Vicksburg District announces purchase policy changes for recreation passes

VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District has announced changes to its purchase policies for annual USACE and America the Beautiful recreation passes.

Due to COVID-19 precautions, purchase protocol has been updated to limit contact between visitors and USACE personnel across recreation sites in Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. Rangers and park attendants will not sell passes in the field at any location. America the Beautiful passes can still be purchased online at https://store.usgs.gov/pass.

Purchase policies for the Mississippi lakes include:

Arkabutla Lake:
Passes can be purchased at the Arkabutla Lake Field Office by appointment only. Visitors can call 662-562-6261 or 662-292-1992 to make their appointment. Face masks are required.

Sardis Lake:
Passes can be purchased at the Sardis Lake Field Office by appointment only. Visitors can call 662-563-4531 to make their appointment and are required to meet a ranger outside the field office to complete purchase. Face masks are required.

Enid Lake:
Passes can be purchased at the Enid Lake Field Office by appointment only, Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Visitors must call the field office at 662-563-4571 to schedule an appointment and arrive with the required documentation and correct cash or check for payment. Credit and debit cards are not accepted. USACE personnel will meet visitors outside the office. A doorbell and instruction sheet have also been placed on the front door of the field office if visitors need assistance during office hours. Face masks are required.

Grenada Lake:
Passes can be purchased by calling the Grenada Lake Visitor Center at 662-226-5911 and scheduling an appointment. An attendant will meet visitors outside to complete the purchase. Face masks are required.

Policies for the Arkansas lakes include:

Lake Ouachita:
Passes can only be purchased at the Lake Ouachita Field Office front desk from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and appointments are not required. Cash or card payments only are accepted. Face masks are required. For more information, contact the field office at 501-767-2101.

DeGray Lake:
Passes can be purchased at the DeGray Lake Field Office by appointment only. Visitors can call 870-246-5501 to schedule an appointment. Face masks are required.

Lake Greeson:
Passes can be purchased at the Lake Greeson Field Office by appointment only. Visitors can call 870-285-3700 to schedule an appointment. Face masks are required.

Passes for Louisiana projects can only be purchased at the Louisiana Field Office in Monroe, Louisiana. Visitors must call the field office at 318-324-5482 to schedule an appointment, and face masks are required.

For more information or question about purchasing a pass, contact Aaron Posner at 601-631-5287.

Annual USACE recreation passes cost $40 and grant visitors access to all day use areas. The passes are valid for one calendar year from the month of sale. Customers will receive a plastic hang tag for their vehicles as proof of purchase.

America the Beautiful passes grant visitors access to national parks and wildlife refuges, and cover day use fees at national forests, grasslands and property managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Recreation and USACE. This includes the entrance, standard amenity 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.

For more information about specific pass policies, visit https://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Passes.aspx.

Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid and Grenada lakes, the four Mississippi flood control reservoirs in the Vicksburg District’s area of responsibility, were authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1936, which provided a plan designed to address flooding that originated in the Yazoo Basin. The four reservoirs are used to hold runoff, or excess rainwater, as a flood-prevention measure. With approximately 3.2 million visitors each year, the north Mississippi lakes also contribute approximately $82 million into the local economy.

The USACE Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana that holds seven major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The Vicksburg District is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,100 personnel.