National Parks Tips

How much does it cost to enter Grand Canyon National Park?

Located in Northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon National Park entrance fee is currently:

  • Personal Cars (non-commercial): $35
  • RVs (non-commercial): $35
  • Motorcycles: $30
  • Individual Persons (Pedestrian, Biker, Hiker): $20 per person

Grand Canyon National Park features astonishing views of the the massive red orange canyon, beautiful hikes along the canyon’s rim, into the canyon to get up close and personal, and so much more. You can get your park entrance pass from the ranger at the entry station. From there you’ll receive a receipt that you can display on your dashboard or present to a ranger if you are ever asked.

Grand Canyon National Park is split up into two major areas, the North Rim and South Rim. The South Rim is much more easily accessible and there’s about 200 miles between the two rims, however you can hike from the South Rim to North Rim in around 20 miles. The entrance fee is good for the entire Grand Canyon National Park, regardless if you’re visiting the North or South Rim.

How long is the Entrance Fee for Grand Canyon National Park Valid For?

The entrance fee for the park is valid for a full seven days. This seven days must be consecutive as you cannot leave and come back many weeks later. The rangers will be checking for your entrance pass if you leave the park and return at all times. The entrance fee helps the staff at Grand Canyon National Park with fixing up the trails, maintaining the park facilities, updating park programs, and many other park projects.

Can I pay for the park entrance pass online ahead of time?

Visitors can either pay at the entry station or you can pay the entry fee online. You can buy a digital entrance pass from Recreation.gov. Once you pay you will immediately be sent a PDF in the confirmation email. Print out the entrance pass to display on your car’s dashboard or if you are a pedestrian have it on you to show while going through the park’s entrance.

Can I pay for my entrance fee with Credit Card?

You can pay for your park entrance fee using your credit card at the North Rim Entrance Station, South Entrance Station, and the Desert View Entrance Station. The North Rim Entrance station only accepts credit cards, but the South Entrance and Desert View entry ways accept both cash and card.

Are there any discounts for the Grand Canyon Entrance Fee?

You can save money on the Grand Canyon National Park Entrance fee in many ways. With some planning you can save 15% all the way to paying nothing for your park entry! You can purchase a Grand Canyon National Park Annual Pass, the America the Beautiful Annual Pass, get a Military Pass, a Senior Pass, or visit the park during one of their fee free days.

Grand Canyon National Park Annual Pass : $70

Grand Canyon offers visitors the option to purchase an annual pass for just $70. This pass allows the person buying the pass and the people in their vehicles to enter the park free of charge. This pass is only valid for non-commercial vehicles. For this pass you are not able to transfer or share this pass with friends or family as the ranger will check for your id and the person assigned to the card . You can buy this pass at the park entrance station.

America the Beautiful Annual Pass: $80

The National Park and Federal Recreational Lands provides an annual pass for visitors valid for twelve months from the day of purchase to enter national parks or various federal lands at no charge. This park not only allows you to enter Grand Canyon National Park for free, but all of the other national parks as well. This is a great pass to buy if you are planning to visit multiple national parks within a twelve month span.

Military Annual Pass: Free

The National Park Service provides active duty US Military with an annual pass for free. That’s right you or your family/friends that are active duty in the US Military can get a pass for free! Just bring your active duty id and present it to a park ranger at the entrance station and you will receive the annual pass. Keep in mind that this pass is not shareable, so the person who receives and signs the card must be present when using the annual pass.

Senior Lifetime Pass or Senior Annual Pass : $80 or $20

Seniors who visit Grand Canyon National Park have the opportunity to purchase a life time pass for $80 or an annual pass for just $20. For the lifetime pass, seniors can enter national parks for free for the rest of their lives for just $80! Or if you are on a budget or are only planning on visiting a few parks currently, then theres also the option of buying a $20 annual pass!

National Park Fee Free Days : Free

There are six fee free days where visitors can enter any national park completely for free. Towards the end of January the National Park System celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. day with no fee. In the middle of April on the first day of National Park week is also another fee free day. For the summer time, visitors can avoid the fee by visiting on National Park Service Birthday at the end of August. Also toward the end of Summer is National Public Lands Day at the end of September. Closing out the fee free days is Veterans day in mid-November.