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Surprisingly the majority of United States National Park units are free to enter all year long. Only 116 of the 419 National Park Service units charge any sort of entrance fee. Admission to these parks can range from $5 per person to $35 per vehicle. The national park entrance fees are used to help offset the costs to run that park. Typically 80% of each national park fee is used in the park it is paid.
On average National Park admission is $30 per vehicle
On average National Monument is $10 per person or $20 per vehicle.
On average other sites cost $10 per person.
I know the National Park Service naming system can be very confusing. But if you are planning on doing any sort of road trip or exploring the outdoors, paying individual national park unit’s entrance fees can quickly add up in cost. Thankfully, there is a better option – the annual pass. This interagency pass covers the ENTRANCE FEES for over 2,000 federally owned sites across the United States. This includes units managed by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites.
Other fees such as campsite fees, special tours, or boat launch fees are not included. It doesn’t hurt to ask if your America the Beautiful pass will cover some of these fees. I have found that some concessionaires will give a discount on museum or tour fees with the pass. Please don’t get mad or angry if you pass isn’t accepted.
This post was originally published on 21 December 2018. It was updated on 07 January 2020.
List of National Park Entrance Fees
**All prices are updated as of December 30, 2018. If there is going to be a fee increase, that date it goes into effect is listed. In general, if the Park unit only charges a per person fee, children under 15 are free.
Several times a year, NPS offers Free Entrance to all National Parks with Entrance Fees. Find out more about the Fee Free Days.
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Jennifer Melroy
Jennifer is a long time national park blogger and the founder of National Park Obsessed. She is a dedicated National Park lover who is working on visiting all 63 US National Parks. She has currently been to 58 of the National Parks. She is dedicated to sharing her knowledge of the Parks with others and helping them learn to love the parks as much as she does.
Thank you for letting me know. I have updated the list to include Kennesaw.
Hi, I'm Jennifer!
Welcome to the wonderful world of National Parks. I'm here to help you plan your NEXT amazing adventure through the United States National Parks and beyond. I want the national parks to be accessible to all.
I live in Tennessee, and when I'm home, you can find me hiking in the Smokies and the Cumberland Plateau.
On this site, we promote travel to the United States and beyond that are the traditional lands of Indigenous and First Nations peoples.
With respect, I make a formal land acknowledgment, extending my appreciation and respect to these lands’ past and present people.
To learn more about the people who call these lands home, I invite you to explore Native Land.
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2 Comments
Trevor Terrell Buford
I wanted you to know that Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Kennesaw, GA now is a Fee Area park as of Wednesday, November 13, 2019.
Jennifer Melroy
Thank you for letting me know. I have updated the list to include Kennesaw.