For US residents, the America the Beautiful pass is an incredible bargain. But overseas visitors are better off paying $35 for a Grand Canyon National Park entrance pass.
How much does Grand Canyon National Park admission cost
Given how extraordinary the Grand Canyon is, the entrance pass for Grand Canyon National Park is not too expensive.
There are different deals available for US residents with permanent disabilities, veterans and seniors over the age of 62. But for most visitors, the entrance fee for Grand Canyon National Park is $35 per vehicle, or $20 per person. This individual pass is only available for cyclists, hikers and pedestrians.
Most visitors to Grand Canyon National Park enter by car, but some do arrive as pedestrians, taking the shuttle bus from Tusayan to the South Rim, then the Hermit Road shuttle.
How long does the Grand Canyon National Park entry pass last for?
The standard Grand Canyon National Park entrance pass lasts for seven days. This makes it pretty good value, although most visitors will realistically only visit for two of those seven days.
The $35 per vehicle Grand Canyon National Park entrance fee applies whether you enter via the Grand Canyon South Entrance Station, Desert View or North Rim.
This also means you can come in via the South Entrance, then approach from the North Rim a few days later, for no extra charge.
Grand Canyon National Park annual pass
However, there are alternatives to the standard admission to Grand Canyon National Park. The first is an annual pass for Grand Canyon National Park, which allows you to visit as many times as you like within a year.
This Grand Canyon National Park annual pass costs $70. If you live within a reasonable driving distance, this may be worth it. For overseas visitors, it almost certainly isn’t.
How much does the America the Beautiful pass cost?
But even if you do live nearby, there’s a much better option. The America the Beautiful pass costs $80, and it covers entry to every US national park within a year.
More than that, the America the Beautiful pass also covers entry to more than 2,000 sites and recreation areas managed by six different Federal agencies.
These six agencies are the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Forest Service, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service.
America the Beautiful Pass eligibility
When travelling around the south-west of the US, where there’s a high concentration on national parks, the America the Beautiful Pass is a no-brainer.
But there are so many sites covered by the pass, there’s almost certainly a handful where you live. If you’re American, obviously.
The slight catch is that the America the Beautiful pass is only available to US citizens or residents. Overseas travellers can’t get one, and are better off paying for the $35 week-long pass for the Grand Canyon.
More Grand Canyon travel ideas
For a range of Grand Canyon tours and experiences, look here.
Other Grand Canyon travel articles on Planet Whitley look at the best stops on the drive from Las Vegas to Williams, Arizona and whether you should do a Grand Canyon day trip from Sedona.
They also look at how scary the Grand Canyon Skywalk is and the best time to visit it. (Clue: Stay at the Cabins at Grand Canyon West).
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