Grand Canyon Tickets and Prices: Entrance Fees, Passes and the West Rim
There is no ticket to book for Grand Canyon National Park. You pay at the entrance station, by card only, and the pass is valid for seven days. The National Park Service lists the standard entrance pass at $20 to $35, depending on how you arrive: on foot or by bicycle it is $20 per person, and children under 16 need no pass at all. There is no reservation and no timed entry.
The figure that surprises people is the newer one. Each non-US resident aged 16 and over pays an extra $100, on top of the standard fee, unless they enter with an annual or America the Beautiful pass, and the park says this includes visitors on commercial tours.
Everything outside the national park is priced separately. Grand Canyon West, with the Skywalk, belongs to the Hualapai Tribe and sells its own passes. The Grand Canyon Railway, the helicopter flights and the lodges all charge on top. This guide sets out each cost, what it covers and what it does not. Fees change; check before you go.
Entrance passes at a glance
| Pass | Price | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard entrance pass | $20 to $35, valid 7 days | Anyone, for one visit to this park |
| Individual (on foot or by bicycle) | $20 per person, valid 7 days | Each visitor aged 16 and over without a vehicle |
| Children under 16 | Free | No pass needed |
| Nonresident fee | $100 per person, on top | Non-US residents aged 16 and over, unless entering with an annual or America the Beautiful pass |
| Grand Canyon annual pass | $70 | US citizens and residents; this park only, for a year |
| America the Beautiful, resident | $80 | US citizens and residents; all federal fee areas, for a year |
| America the Beautiful, nonresident | $250 | Non-US residents; all federal fee areas, for a year |
| Senior annual / lifetime | $20 / $80 | US citizens and residents aged 62 and over |
These are the figures on the park’s fees page in October 2026.
The standard entrance pass
The standard pass is what most visitors buy. It is valid for seven days and covers the South Rim (and the North Rim in its season). There are three versions:
- By private vehicle. One pass covers one private, non-commercial vehicle and everyone in it, up to a 15-person passenger van. Your passengers do not need their own passes.
- By motorcycle. Valid for seven days for up to 2 private motorcycles carrying up to 4 people in total.
- On foot or by bicycle. $20 per person aged 16 and over, valid for seven days.
The park quotes the standard pass as a range, $20 to $35, rather than one price, and the $20 end is the individual pass. Organized non-commercial groups of more than 16 people pay different charges, and commercial groups cannot use the vehicle pass at all.
Seven days is generous. You can enter at the South Entrance, drive out through the East Entrance at Desert View and come back later in the week on the same pass. Keep the receipt or pass with you.
The $100 nonresident fee
This is the cost to plan around if you do not live in the United States. In the park’s words, each non-US resident aged 16 and older must pay a $100 nonresident fee in addition to the standard entrance fee. It does not apply if you are admitted with an annual or America the Beautiful pass.
Three things follow from that:
- It is per person, not per car. A car of non-US adults pays the vehicle pass once and the nonresident fee for each adult. Children under 16 do not pay it.
- It applies on tours. The park states that the fee covers nonresidents entering as part of a commercial tour group, a commercial use authorization group or a concessioner tour group. When you compare day tours from Las Vegas or Phoenix, check whether the listed price includes it.
- The nonresident America the Beautiful pass can work out cheaper. It costs $250 for a year at every federal fee area in the country, and the park lists it as a way in without the $100 fee. For a single visitor to a single park the $100 fee is less. For two or three non-US adults touring several national parks, the pass is worth pricing up before you leave home. Ask at the entrance how many people one pass covers in your case.
The fee does not apply at Grand Canyon West, which is on Hualapai land outside the national park and charges its own prices instead.
Annual and America the Beautiful passes
The Grand Canyon annual pass ($70) gives unlimited visits to this park only, for a year from the month of purchase, and is non-transferable. It covers the holder and companions in one private vehicle, or the holder and immediate family (spouse, children, parents) when you come in by train, shuttle, bicycle or on foot. The park lists it as available to US citizens and residents.
The America the Beautiful pass covers entrance fees and standard day-use fees on land run by the National Park Service, the Fish & Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers. At a park like Grand Canyon it covers one private vehicle fee, or four per-person fees.
| America the Beautiful pass | Available to | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Resident annual | US citizens and residents | $80 |
| Nonresident annual | Non-US residents | $250 |
| Senior annual | US citizens and residents aged 62 and over | $20 |
| Senior lifetime | US citizens and residents aged 62 and over | $80 |
| Military annual | Current US military and dependents | Free |
| Military lifetime | Gold Star families and veterans | Free |
| Access | US citizens and residents with a permanent disability | Free |
| 4th grade | US 4th graders | Free |
| Volunteer | Volunteers with 250 service hours | Free |
The passes are non-refundable, non-transferable and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen, and holders must show photo ID with them. If you already hold one, it is the only entrance pass you need.
Fee-free days in 2026
On a handful of dates every year, National Park Service sites that charge entry let US citizens and residents in free. The 2026 list on the park’s fees page:
- February 16 (Presidents Day)
- May 25 (Memorial Day)
- June 14 (Flag Day)
- July 3 to 5 (Independence Day weekend)
- August 25 (the National Park Service’s birthday)
- September 17 (Constitution Day)
- October 27 (Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday)
- November 11 (Veterans Day)
The free admission is for US citizens and residents, so a non-US visitor should not count on it. Other charges, such as lodging, still apply.
How to pay and where to buy
- Cards only. The park does not accept cash at all. Bring a credit or debit card.
- At the entrance stations. Passes are sold at the South Entrance, the Desert View (East) Entrance and, in season, the North Rim Entrance.
- A digital America the Beautiful pass can be bought on recreation.gov, saved to your phone and used immediately.
- A physical pass by mail from the USGS online store can take up to three weeks to arrive, so order well ahead or pick one up in person.
- No refunds for weather. The park gives no refunds because of bad weather.
Because no reservation is needed, the only queue is at the entrance itself. At busy times the park suggests reaching an entrance station before 10 a.m. or after 2 p.m.
What the entrance fee covers
- Seven days in the park, with as many entries as you like in that time.
- The free South Rim shuttle buses. No shuttle ticket is needed; the park says a portion of your entrance fee pays for the service. That includes the Hermit Road route, the only motorized way along Hermit Road from March 1 through November 30 apart from commercial tours.
- Both South Rim entrances and, in season, the North Rim.
It does not cover lodging, campgrounds, river trips, or anything outside the park boundary.
What costs extra: the West Rim and the Skywalk
Grand Canyon West is on the sovereign land of the Hualapai Tribe at the far western end of the canyon, and the Skywalk there is not affiliated with Grand Canyon National Park. The tribe collects its own fees to enter any part of the reservation, and no national park pass is accepted.
On the Grand Canyon West site in October 2026:
- All-Access Pass, $99. Includes the Skywalk, the zipline, Hualapai guided tours and exhibits, song and dance performances, walking trails, and the shuttle between all points, plus a $10 meal discount and a $10 merchandise discount (each with a $20 minimum spend).
- Sunset Pass. Entry after 3:00 p.m., with the Skywalk, Eagle Point, Guano Point and the hop-on, hop-off shuttle.
- Helicopter and pontoon tours, flying into the canyon and then floating on the Colorado, are sold separately.
A few rules on the Skywalk itself: no purses or backpacks on the glass, so belongings go in a free locker; everyone wears booties over their shoes; and professional photographers sell the pictures. The site gives the Skywalk’s peak hours as 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parking is offsite, with a free shuttle to the Skywalk.
If you are comparing Las Vegas day trips to the West Rim, read each listing’s inclusions line: whether the Skywalk is in the price or an add-on makes a real difference.
What costs extra: the railway and the flights
The Grand Canyon Railway from Williams is a separate fare from the park entrance. It leaves Williams at 9:30 a.m. from January 1 to October 31 (8:30 a.m. in November and December) and gives you a little over 3 hours at the South Rim. The railway sells six classes of service, and these are its round-trip fares as listed in October 2026:
| Class | Adult (16+) | Child (2 to 15) | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pullman | $69.98 | $37.98 | 1923-era cars, windows that open, no air conditioning; March to October only |
| Coach | $89.98 | $57.98 | 1950s cars, big windows, air conditioning in warmer months; ADA accessible |
| First Class | $172.98 | $132.98 | Oversized seats, bar service, morning and afternoon snacks |
| Observation Dome | $202.98 | $192.98 | Upper-level dome seating, bar service, snacks; no children under 2 |
| Luxury Dome | $242.98 | not permitted | Full-length dome and lounge, private bar |
| Luxury Parlor | $242.98 | not permitted | Parlor car with an open rear platform, private bar |
Children under 2 ride free where they are allowed. You can mix classes, taking one going out and another coming back, and every passenger can use the café car. You may bring your own snacks and soft drinks, but not alcohol.
Two costs sit outside the fare. The park entrance fee applies to train passengers too (the Grand Canyon annual pass explicitly covers family members entering by train), and so does the $100 nonresident fee for non-US visitors aged 16 and over. Check whether a railway package you are buying includes them. The railway also sells packages that combine the train with its hotel in Williams and lodging inside the park.
Scenic flights are run by private operators, and the park says all scenic air tours are based outside Grand Canyon National Park. Fixed-wing and helicopter tours of the region run daily. Our helicopter tours guide compares them.
Opening hours and seasons
- South Rim: open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including Grand Canyon Village and Desert View. Some facilities close in winter.
- North Rim: open seasonally, May 15 through October 15. Between December 1 and May 14 the North Rim and State Route 67 are closed to all vehicles. In 2026 the park said the season would focus mainly on day use, with no drinking water on the North Rim.
- Hermit Road: closed to private vehicles from March 1 through November 30; open to cars in December, January and February unless snow closes it. Walkers and cyclists can use it all year.
- Tuweep: the remote area west of the North Rim has its own entrance and needs a permit reservation before you go.
When it is busiest
The park says visitor numbers are highest at spring break in March and April, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and in all major holiday weeks, and that weekends are busier, especially in summer. The least crowded months are November through February, though winter weather is a real factor.
Two practical consequences for the money side:
- Book lodging first. The park strongly recommends reservations for lodging and camping in spring, summer and fall.
- Book any timed product early if you are going in peak weeks. The railway, flights and West Rim tours have fixed departures and limited seats; the park entrance has no reservations at all.
For getting there from Las Vegas, Flagstaff and Phoenix, see our guide to getting there. For the paid trips side by side, see the tours page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is it to get into the Grand Canyon in 2026?
The standard pass for Grand Canyon National Park is $20 to $35 for seven days: $20 per person on foot or by bike, with one vehicle pass covering everyone in a private car. Children under 16 are free. Non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 each unless they have an annual or America the Beautiful pass.
Do I need to book tickets in advance?
No. There is no reservation or timed entry for the national park; you pay by card at the entrance. Book lodging, campgrounds, the railway and any flights in advance instead.
Does the park accept cash?
No. Entrance fees are by credit or debit card only.
Is the Skywalk included in the national park fee?
No. The Skywalk is at Grand Canyon West, on the Hualapai Reservation and not affiliated with the national park. Entry there is sold separately; the All-Access Pass, which includes the Skywalk, costs $99.
Do tour passengers pay the $100 nonresident fee?
Yes, according to the park: it applies to nonresidents on commercial, commercial use authorization and concessioner tours. Check whether a tour’s price includes it.
Is the America the Beautiful pass worth it for foreign visitors?
It costs non-US residents $250 for a year and lets you in without the $100 nonresident fee. For one visitor at one park, paying the fee is cheaper; for several adults visiting several national parks, compare the totals.
When is the North Rim open?
From May 15 through October 15. It is closed to all vehicles between December 1 and May 14.