National Park Pass Calculator

Is the America the Beautiful pass worth it?

The America the Beautiful annual pass covers entrance fees at national parks and more than 2,000 other federal recreation sites for 12 months. From January 1, 2026, it costs $80 for US citizens and residents and $250 for visitors from outside the US. Most popular national parks charge $30–$35 per private vehicle, so for US residents the pass usually pays for itself on the third park.

For international visitors the math changed in 2026. Non-US residents aged 16 and older now pay a $100 per-person fee on top of the standard entrance fee at 11 of the most visited parks, unless they hold an annual pass. For a car with two adult visitors, a single stop at one of these parks can cost more than $200 at the gate.

How to use the calculator

1. Choose your residency. This sets the pass price to $80 or $250. You can edit it.
2. If you’re visiting from outside the US, enter how many people aged 16 or older in your car are non-US residents.
3. Add your parks. Pick each park from the list and the standard vehicle fee fills in. Parks marked * charge the nonresident fee. Change any fee, or choose “Other park” to type your own.
4. Enter visits. A vehicle fee normally covers 7 days in a row, so count one visit per trip, not per day.
5. Read the verdict. The result shows whether the pass or paying at the gate saves money, and by how much.

How the savings are calculated

Paying at the gate = Σ (park fee × visits) + nonresident fee × non-US adults × visits at the 11 parks
Savings = paying at the gate − pass price

The 11 parks with the nonresident fee

According to the National Park Service, the $100 nonresident fee applies at Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. Children 15 and under are not charged the fee. The fee still applies on fee-free days, which from 2026 are for US citizens and residents only.

Visiting US national parks from the UK

If you live in the UK, you count as a nonresident. You can’t buy the $80 resident pass, but you can buy the $250 Non-Resident Annual Pass, and it also covers the $100 per-person fee at the 11 busiest parks for everyone in your car. That changes the maths quickly. Two adults from the UK visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton would pay $70 in vehicle fees plus $400 in nonresident fees at the gate, $470 in total, against $250 for the pass. Choose “Visiting from the UK or elsewhere” in the calculator to see your own numbers.

Other passes worth checking

If you qualify for a free or discounted pass, you likely don’t need this calculator — get that pass. Some parks also sell their own annual pass, often around $55–$70, which can make sense if you return to one park often.

Tips for getting the most from a pass

• Count the whole year. The pass runs for 12 months from the month you buy it, so a spring trip and a fall trip can share one pass.
• Remember other federal sites. The pass also covers many national forest day-use areas, wildlife refuges and some Bureau of Land Management and Army Corps sites.
• Know what it doesn’t cover. Camping, timed-entry reservations, tours and parking permits are separate.

Planning the whole trip? Add your entry costs to the camping trip cost calculator, or compare staying inside the park against a hotel outside it with the campsite vs hotel comparison.

Pass prices and the nonresident fee reflect National Park Service information for 2026. Park entrance fees can change; confirm on each park’s nps.gov “Fees & Passes” page before you travel.

Last updated September 24, 2026. All costs are in US dollars.