The rules changed slightly this year with the 2026 National Park Pass, also known as the America the Beautiful Pass. You can also find this information on the NPS website at this link. If you are a resident of the United States, nothing has changed for you, and the pass remains $80 for the America the Beautiful Pass or $35 per car at the national park entrance. Where it gets sticky is if you are a NON-resident of the United States.

This was implemented to reduce international travel and crowds at some of America’s busiest parks. It is also intended to help raise more funds for the National Park system, which will aid in hiring more employees, funding park projects, and increasing revenue for the parks. Here are the parks being affected by the change in pricing:

• Acadia
• Bryce Canyon
• Everglades
• Glacier
• Grand Canyon
• Grand Teton
• Rocky Mountain
• Sequoia & Kings Canyon
• Yellowstone
• Yosemite
• Zion

There are two options for the increased fees. Option 1, You can either pay for the America the Beautiful pass, which would cost an international traveler $250. This pass covers the fee to any National park, and covers any person in the vehicle.

Alternatively, you can pay the traditional park entrance fee of $35 per vehicle, plus $100 for each person over the age of 16 in the vehicle. EX: If you were a family of 5, consisting of two adults and three children, with one child under the age of 16, you would pay the $35 entrance fee plus $100 per family member over 16 (x4). This would total $435 to enter the park. That would be your cost for 1 week.

If you are a US resident, this does not affect you. You can expect to pay the $35 entrance fee to the national park for the week, or the $80 fee for the America the Beautiful Pass, which gets you into multiple National Parks.

Free Park Days

Free park days are still free for U.S. citizens! For Non-residents, you will now have to pay to access the park. Free park days for residents are:

• February 16
• May 25
• June 14
• July 3-5
• August 25
• September 17
• October 27
• November 11

So get out there and visit some national parks! What national parks are you planning a trip to this year? Comment below which one, and we’ll tag you when we post a blog about it!