National Parks Pass Calculator
Tick the national parks on your trip. See whether the America the Beautiful pass or paying at each gate costs less, or switch to counting the parks you have been to.
3 parks · US residents · by car
Buy the pass: $80Paying at each gate would cost $105. The America the Beautiful pass saves you $25.
- Glacier
- $35
- Grand Teton
- $35
- Yellowstone
- $35
- The pass covers everyone in one car for a year, at every national park and other federal recreation sites. A gate ticket is valid 7 days.
- Anyone 62 or over in the car? The senior pass is $20 a year and covers the car too.
Fees checked 2026-09-19 on nps.gov. Check the park’s page before you go: some parks also need a timed-entry reservation.
3 of 63 national parks on the trip
No national park matches that. Try a park name, a state, or a two-letter state code.
Quick answer: the America the Beautiful pass costs $80 a year for US residents and covers everyone in your car at all 63 national parks. Most park gates charge $30–$35 a car for 7 days, so the pass usually pays off from your third park. Non-US residents pay $250 for the pass, or $100 a person on top of the gate fee at 11 of the busiest parks, so for them the pass pays off from two of those parks, or from one with three adults in the car.
How to use it
Tick every national park on your trip, say where you live and how you will get in (car, on foot or bike, or motorcycle), and count everyone 16 and over. The calculator adds up what each gate would charge and compares it with the right annual pass. To track the parks you have already been to, switch to Counting parks I’ve visited: the tool keeps that list separately, and the link you copy saves it.
The passes
From the National Park Service’s pass page, read on 2026-09-19. Every pass covers the entrance fee at all national parks and other federal recreation sites for one private car, or the passholder and 3 more adults where the park charges per person.
| Pass | Who can buy it | Price |
|---|---|---|
| America the Beautiful annual pass | US citizens and residents | $80 a year |
| Non-Resident Annual Pass | Everyone else | $250 a year |
| Senior Annual Pass | US citizens and residents 62+ | $20 a year |
| Senior Lifetime Pass | US citizens and residents 62+ | $80 once |
Current US military and their dependents get the pass free. Children under 16 enter every park free.
The 11 parks with the $100 non-US resident fee
Since 2026, non-US residents 16 and over pay $100 each at these parks on top of the entrance fee, unless they come in with an annual pass. Entrance fees here are for one private car, valid 7 days.
| Park | Car | Per person (foot or bike) | Non-US residents, each |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acadia | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
| Bryce Canyon | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
| Everglades | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
| Glacier | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
| Grand Canyon | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
| Grand Teton | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
| Rocky Mountain | $30 | $15 | +$100 |
| Sequoia & Kings Canyon | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
| Yellowstone | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
| Yosemite | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
| Zion | $35 | $20 | +$100 |
23 national parks charge no entrance fee at all, among them Great Smoky Mountains, Redwood, North Cascades, Congaree and Gateway Arch. Carlsbad Caverns, Denali, Dry Tortugas, Guadalupe Mountains and Isle Royale charge per person, even when you arrive by car.
Worked examples
Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier by car
Three gates at $35 each: $105. The $80 pass saves $25, and it is still good for the rest of the year.
The same trip, two adults from abroad
At the gate it is $105 for the car plus $100 × 2 people × 3 parks: $705. The $250 Non-Resident Annual Pass covers the car and both fees, saving $455.
Utah’s Mighty 5
Arches $30, Bryce Canyon $35, Canyonlands $30, Capitol Reef $20 and Zion $35: $150 at the gates, against $80 for the pass. It saves $70.
A weekend at Zion and Bryce Canyon
$35 + $35 = $70, $10 less than the pass. Pay at the gate, unless another park is coming before the year is out.
Six adults in one car at Carlsbad Caverns
Carlsbad charges $15 a person, so the gate is $90. The pass covers only the passholder and 3 more adults: $80 + 2 × $15 = $110. Here the gate is cheaper.
How many national parks are there?
There are 63 national parks in the United States, in 30 states and 2 territories (American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands). California has the most with 9, then Alaska with 8 and Utah with 5. Sequoia and Kings Canyon are two parks run as one, with one entrance fee. The National Park Service runs more than 400 sites in all; the pass covers the entrance fee at every one that charges.
Common mistakes
- Buying the pass for one or two parks. At $30–$35 a car, two parks cost less than $80 at the gate.
- Forgetting the reservation. In busy seasons some parks also ask for a timed-entry or vehicle reservation on recreation.gov, on top of the entrance fee or pass. Check the park’s own page before you go.
- Counting children. Under 16 always enters free.
- A second car. One pass covers one car. Two cars need two passes, or one pass and one gate fee.
Plan the trip
For a route, start with the cross-country national parks road trip or six national park road trips worth your PTO. For the parks themselves: Yellowstone for first-timers, Glacier’s must-see spots, Zion and Yosemite.
FAQ
What is the America the Beautiful pass?
The annual pass for all US national parks and other federal recreation sites. It costs $80 for US citizens and residents, covers everyone in one private car (or the passholder and 3 more adults at parks that charge per person), and is valid for a year.
How much is a national park pass?
$80 a year for US residents, $250 a year for non-US residents, and $20 a year or $80 for life for US residents 62 and over. Current US military and their dependents get it free.
Is the national park pass worth it?
For US residents it pays off from about the third park, since most gates charge $30–$35 a car for 7 days. For non-US residents it pays off from two of the 11 parks with the $100 per-person fee, or from one of them with three adults in the car.
How many national parks are there?
63, in 30 states and 2 US territories. California has the most (9), then Alaska (8) and Utah (5).
How much are national park entrance fees?
From $20 to $35 for a private car for 7 days, $7 to $20 a person on foot or bike, and $15 to $30 for a motorcycle. 23 parks charge nothing. Non-US residents pay $100 a person more at 11 parks.
Does the pass cover everyone in the car?
Yes, everyone in one private, non-commercial vehicle. Where a park charges per person, it covers the passholder and 3 more adults; children under 16 are always free.