US National Parks Add $100/Day Non-Resident Fee: 11 Parks
The US National Park Service has introduced a $100-per-day non-resident surcharge at eleven of its highest-traffic parks, effective 2026. The fee applies to non-US citizens and non-permanent residents purchasing single-day or multi-day vehicle entry permits at these parks, on top of the standard vehicle entry fee.
The parks affected are: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Teton, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Joshua Tree, Arches, Canyonlands, Glacier, and Olympic.
How the Fee Works
The surcharge is charged per person, not per vehicle. A family of four non-resident adults visiting Yellowstone for one day would pay the standard $35 vehicle entry fee plus $400 in surcharges ($100 × 4 adults), for a total of $435 at the gate.
Children under 15 are exempt from the surcharge regardless of citizenship status. US citizens and legal permanent residents are not charged the additional fee regardless of where they live - the surcharge is based on citizenship and residency, not on domestic versus international travel.
Payment is collected at entry booths. If you are camping inside the park across multiple days, the surcharge applies for each day of your stay, not just the day of vehicle entry.
America the Beautiful Pass and Non-Residents
The America the Beautiful Annual Pass ($80) covers standard vehicle entry fees at federal recreation areas but does not exempt non-resident holders from the new daily surcharge. Non-residents holding the pass still pay the $100-per-day surcharge per person at the affected parks.
This changes the calculation for international visitors who previously bought the annual pass to cover multi-park road trips. For a solo non-resident visitor planning four days at Yellowstone, the pass saves the $35 daily vehicle fee but the surcharge still adds $400 in total across those four days.
Planning Around the Change
The surcharge applies only at the eleven listed parks. Non-residents visiting other national parks - including Acadia, Shenandoah, Great Smoky Mountains (which charges no entry fee), Death Valley, Big Bend, Denali, and others - are not affected by the new charge.
The policy has drawn criticism from travel industry groups and international tourism bodies, who note that the affected parks are disproportionately represented on most first-time international visitor itineraries to the American West.
Our full guide to Yellowstone National Park covers park logistics, wildlife viewing, seasonal timing, and accommodation options inside and around the park boundaries. If the Grand Canyon is on your list, our Grand Canyon guide covers the South Rim, North Rim, and the permit system for inner canyon hikes.