National parks

Yellowstone Geysers, WY

Wyoming · Rocky Mountains

Entry $35 / vehicle

Scale 4.8M (2025)

Est. 1872

Season Jun-Sep

Half the world's geysers in one valley, plus bison traffic jams on the way to them.

Getting there

Jackson (JAC) is the NPS-listed year-round gateway; Salt Lake City is about five hours. All five gates take cash and card, and no vehicle reservation is required.

Don't miss

Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk
Grand Prismatic Spring from the Fairy Falls overlook
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - Lower Falls drops 308 feet

Best time to go

June to September, when every road is open. The park's own figures put 2024 at 4.74M visits, so book lodging early.

Nearby

Grand Teton Jackson West Yellowstone

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

$35 / vehicle

Zion National Park, UT

Colorado Plateau

$35 / vehicle

Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ

Colorado Plateau

$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.