WANDERUS
National parks

Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ

Arizona · Colorado Plateau

Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, credited in the site footer.
Entry $35 / vehicle
Scale 4.4M (2025)
Est. 1919
Season Apr-May, Sep-Oct

A mile deep, eighteen miles wide, and still somehow wider in person than in photos.

Getting there

Flagstaff (FLG) is 90 minutes south. There is no timed entry and no reservation, but the park is cashless - pay by card at the gate.

Don't miss

Best time to go

April to May and September to October, outside spring break and midsummer. Entrance queues can run two hours between 10am and 4pm.

Nearby

Tusayan Williams Sedona

Costs and seasons change

Fees and visitor figures are taken from the National Park Service pages for this park; re-check nps.gov before you book. The planning copy is ours.

More like this

Zion National Park, UT $35 / vehicle

Zion National Park, UT

Colorado Plateau
Yellowstone Geysers, WY $35 / vehicle

Yellowstone Geysers, WY

Rocky Mountains
Acadia National Park, ME $35 / vehicle

Acadia National Park, ME

New England

Before you go

Do I need a reservation to visit the big parks?

Not at the time of writing. Yosemite dropped its timed-entry system, Grand Canyon states there is no timed entry, and Yellowstone does not require a vehicle reservation. Acadia is the exception: Cadillac Summit Road needs a $6 vehicle reservation between 20 May and 25 October 2026.

What does the $35 entrance fee actually cover?

One private vehicle and everyone inside it, for the park's stated period: seven days at Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Acadia, one to seven days at Zion. Motorcycles pay $30 and walkers or cyclists pay $20 per person.

Is there a surcharge for international visitors?

Yes. Each park page states that non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an additional $100 each, unless they hold an America the Beautiful annual pass or an annual park pass. It is per person, not per vehicle.