Everything You Need to Know About National Park Entrance Fees
Spending time in the great outdoors is supposed to be one of life's simple pleasures. But these days you can't just hit the road, snag a visitor map, and hope for unpopulated trails or available campsites in any national park. At the National Park Service's most popular spots, a combination of timed-entry ticket systems, hikes with user fees, and headache-inducing online reservations can turn what should be a respite into a chore.
While some national parks remain free to all, many of the most popular charge up to $35 per vehicle, making the annual America the Beautiful parks pass ($80) a steal if you're planning to visit at least three parks.
Entrance fees typically cover one private vehicle and everyone inside it for up to seven days of in-and-out park usage, although commercial vehicles are charged an additional fee per tour guest. Fees go toward critical maintenance, staffing, and upgrades within the parks. Travelers looking to save some cash should consider checking out their favorite national park on one of the yearly fee-free days or logging 250 hours of volunteer work to earn an Interagency Volunteer Pass.
No matter how you wish to enjoy America's most famous public lands, we've created this handy guide to park fees and reservation information to make planning your next visit easier. Remember, entrance fees aren't the only expense you'll have when visiting national parks; we've listed a few notable additional expenses and considerations, including timed-entry reservations and permitted hikes, at certain locations.
Acadia
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Beginning this year, Acadia requires vehicle reservations for visitors traveling up Cadillac Summit Road from May 25 to October 22. These timed-entry tickets cost $6 per vehicle and are available for two windows: sunrise and daytime.
Arches
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycles, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: In 2022, Arches will implement a pilot timed-entry permit system to prevent overcrowding. Visitors in vehicles entering the park will need to pay an additional $2 reservation-processing fee for entry dates that occur between April 3 and October 3 from 6 A.M. to 5 P.M. MST.
Badlands
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Big Bend
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Biscayne
Fees: None
Additional Info: The park charges a $25 fee for overnight stays (for up to two tents and up to six people) at either Elliott Key or Boca Chita Key.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Bryce Canyon
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Canyonlands
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Capitol Reef
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $15 per motorcycle, $10 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Carlsbad Caverns
Fees: $15 per adult, children age 15 and younger are free
Additional Info: Visitor fees are valid for three days after the initial entrance date. Ranger-guided cave tours cost extra.
Channel Islands
Fees: None
Additional Info: A private boat or Island Packers ferry is necessary to reach this park.
Congaree
Fees: None
Additional Info: The park does not charge for admission, camping, or ranger-led programs.
Crater Lake
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Cuyahoga Valley
Fees: None
Additional Info: Although admission is free, the park recommends making a donation to the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Death Valley
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Denali
Fees: $15 per adult, children ages 15 and younger are free
Additional Info: This fee covers admission for seven days and may be purchased online. Tour and transit buses beyond Denali Park Road's mile 15 are available for an extra fee.
Dry Tortugas
Fees: $15 per adult, children age 16 and younger are free
Additional Info: Because this is a remote island-based park, entrance fees may be paid online. You can only reach the park via a ferry (each $190 ticket includes entrance to the park), chartered seaplane, or your own private boat or plane.
Everglades
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Gates of the Arctic
Fees: None
Additional Info: Although fees are not charged, the park requests that all travelers stop by one of its visitor centers prior to arrival.
Gateway Arch
Fees: $3 per adult, children age 15 and younger are free
Additional Info: This entrance fee does not include a riverfront cruise or a tram ride to the top.
Glacier
Fees: $35 per private vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: While fewer roads are open in the winter, rates during this season, which runs from November 1 to April 30, are more affordable: $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, and $15 per person without a vehicle. A timed-entry system will be implemented again in 2022 from May 27 to September 11; visitors will be charged a $2 service fee on Recreation.gov when booking.
Glacier Bay
Fees: None
Additional Info: Backcountry campers and private boaters recreating in the park will need to obtain additional free permits.
Grand Canyon
Fees: $35 per private vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Entrance fees may be paid online.
Grand Teton
Fees: $35 per private vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Great Basin
Fees: None
Additional Info: Lehman Caves Tours are an additional fee.
Great Sand Dunes
Fees: $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Entrance fees may be paid online.
Great Smoky Mountains
Fees: None
Additional Info: None
Guadalupe Mountains
Fees: $15 per adult, children age 16 and younger are free
Additional Info: Fee covers park entrance for up to seven days.
Haleakala
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Unlike most parks, these fees only cover vehicles for three days from the entrance date.
Hawaii Volcanoes
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Hot Springs
Fees: None
Additional Info: Admission, guided park tours, and the historic Fordyce Museum are all free.
Indiana Dunes
Fees: None currently; however, beginning March 31, 2022, prices will be instituted: $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Fees will cover a seven-day entry pass.
Isle Royale
Fees: $7 per person
Additional Info: Visitors may pay their entrance fees online.
Joshua Tree
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Visitors can also purchase their weekly entrance passes online.
Katmai
Fees: None
Additional Info: None
Kenai Fjords
Fees: None
Additional Info: This park also does not charge camping fees.
Kings Canyon
Fees: $35 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, $20 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Annual passes, as well as those for vehicles and motorcycles, are available online.
Kobuk Valley
Fees: None
Additional Info: None
Lake Clark
Fees: None
Additional Info: None
Lassen Volcanic
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: In winter, vehicle passes decrease in price to $10.
Mammoth Cave
Fees: None (surface activities and trails only)
Additional Info: Cave tours start at $8 for adults; children age 6 to 12 cost $6, children under 5 are free.
Mesa Verde
Fees: From May 1 to October 31, entrance fees are $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, and $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: During the winter, entrance fees drop to $20 per private vehicle, $15 per motorcycle, and $10 per person without a vehicle. Annual passes, as well as those for vehicles and motorcycles, are available online.
Mount Rainier
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
National Park of American Samoa
Fees: None
Additional Info: None
New River Gorge
Fees: None
Additional Info: None
North Cascades
Fees: None
Additional Info: None
Olympic
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: The park allows visitors to purchase vehicle, annual, and motorcycle passes online.
Petrified Forest
Fees: $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Pinnacles
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: To help avoid entrance-station wait times, the park allows visitors to prepurchase passes online.
Redwood
Fees: None
Additional Info: The adjoining redwood state parks (Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast, and Prairie Creek) collect day-use fees at developed campgrounds. Federal America the Beautiful pass holders will not be charged.
Rocky Mountain
Fees: Single-day passes cost $25 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Visitors who want a seven-day vehicle pass will be charged $35. Passes may be purchased online in advance. To avoid overcrowding, an entry-ticket system will be implemented this year from May 27 to October 10; travelers have the option to choose a timed window to visit the park, with or without Bear Lake Road. A $2 service fee will be charged per ticket. In 2021, the park proposed a $5 increase for day-use fees, which may take effect this year.
Saguaro
Fees: $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: The park encourages visitors to pay their entrance fees online, to reduce cash transactions.
Sequoia
Fees: $35 per private vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Save time at the entrance station by purchasing your vehicle pass online.
Shenandoah
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Beginning March 1, visitors looking to access the Old Rag area will need to reserve an additional day use ticket; a $1 nonrefundable reservation fee will be charged per ticket.
Theodore Roosevelt
Fees: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Visitors may purchase their entrance passes online, to save time at the entry station.
Virgin Islands
Fees: None
Additional Info: Although the park does not charge for general entry, there is a $5 per person (age 16 and above) day-use fee for Trunk Bay.
Voyageurs
Fees: None
Additional Info: In 2021, there was a proposed fee hike for camping and tours.
White Sands
Fees: $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, $15 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: None
Wind Cave
Fees: None (surface activities and trails only)
Additional Info: Cave tours are available for an additional fee. In 2021, there was a proposed fee increase for these tours to provide funding for necessary upgrades.
Wrangell-St. Elias
Fees: None
Additional Info: None
Yellowstone
Fees: $35 per private vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Visitors may purchase their entrance passes in advance online.
Yosemite
Fees: $35 per private vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: Timed-entry tickets will be required during peak hours, 6 a.m. – 4 p.m., until September 30, and are available for purchase ($2 per vehicle) beginning at 8 a.m. on March 23.
Zion
Fees: $35 per private vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per person without a vehicle
Additional Info: This is the first year the park will require an additional reservation to hike the popular Angels Landing Trail; price is $3 per person, plus a $6 nonrefundable reservation fee.
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