Rocky Mountain National Park entrance fee and passes.

Buying and using the pass.

Where to buy. Entrance passes are sold at the Beaver Meadows, Fall River, and Grand Lake entrance stations, or ahead online at Recreation.gov. The park takes debit and credit cards only, for entrance and campground fees. If you're traveling with cash, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy Nature Store at the Beaver Meadows, Fall River, or Kawuneeche visitor centers sells most entrance passes. Entrance passes are non-refundable and non-transferable.

One day or seven? The 1-day vehicle pass is $30 and the 7-day pass is $35. Two 1-day passes cost $60, so if there's any chance you'll come back, the 7-day pass is cheaper. You need a pass to enter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and that includes outlying areas like Lumpy Ridge, Lily Lake, Longs Peak, Wild Basin, East Inlet, and North Inlet.

Annual passes by mail take time. NPS says annual and lifetime passes bought online take 2 to 4 weeks to arrive by mail. If your trip is within the next month, buy one in person when you get to the park. A digital America the Beautiful pass from Recreation.gov saves to your phone and works right away.

Bring photo ID with any annual pass. America the Beautiful passes are non-refundable, non-transferable, and can't be replaced if lost or stolen, and passholders must show valid photo ID with each pass. The $70 park annual pass is good for one passholder in any personal vehicle. On bikes, an annual or lifetime pass covers the holder and up to three more cyclists.

Commercial tours. Tour vehicles pay by total seating capacity, not by how many people are aboard: $25 for 1 to 6, $75 for 7 to 15, $100 for 16 to 25, and $200 for 26 and over. Annual and lifetime passes can't be used to pay for a commercial tour. The fee is good for the same group for seven days, so show the receipt for reentry. Nonresidents on commercial, CUA, or concessioner tours still owe the $100 fee.

The $100 nonresident fee.

U.S. residents don't pay it. The $100 fee is for each non-U.S. resident 16 and older, on top of the standard entrance fee. A U.S. citizen or resident pays only the vehicle, motorcycle, or per-person fee. For two non-U.S. adults in a rental car on a 7-day pass, that's $35 plus $200, or $235. For four, it's $435. The $250 non-resident America the Beautiful pass covers the entire vehicle, or two motorcycles, or the holder plus three more adults where fees are per person. Three adults in one car already pay $335 at the gate, so the pass wins at Rocky Mountain alone.

If anyone in the car is a U.S. citizen or resident, their pass can do the same job for everyone. Per the NPS nonresident fee page, every valid America the Beautiful pass and park-specific annual pass covers entrance and nonresident fees for the holder and passengers in a private vehicle or on two motorcycles. That includes the $70 Rocky Mountain annual pass, a $20 senior pass, and the free Access, military, and 4th grade passes.

Photo ID decides the price. Resident pricing is checked when you use a pass, not only when you buy it. NPS says purchasers show photo ID at the time of use, and someone who isn't eligible for the resident pass is asked to upgrade to the $250 non-resident pass. Proof of U.S. citizenship or residency includes a U.S. passport, a state or territory driver's license or state ID, or a green card. If you're a U.S. resident, carry that ID with your pass.

Which parks charge it. Eleven national parks charge the $100 fee: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion, per the NPS entrance fee prices page. Fee-free days don't help: from 2026 they're for U.S. citizens and residents only, and nonresidents pay the regular entrance fee and the nonresident fee.

Free entrance days in 2026.

NPS lists eight fee-free dates for 2026, ten days in all: February 16, May 25, June 14, July 3 to 5, August 25, September 17, October 27, and November 11. Seven have passed, so three are left: September 17, October 27, and November 11. Entrance is free for U.S. citizens and residents only, and NPS says other fees, including timed entry fees, may still apply. September 17 falls inside the 2026 timed entry season, so you may still need the $2 reservation to drive in during its hours. October 27 and November 11 come after timed entry ends on October 18.

The days left get quieter as the year goes on. September averages about 19,700 recreation visits a day over the past five years, October about 12,900, and November about 5,000. The summer free days fell in the busiest stretch, when July averages about 25,600 a day.

Timed entry and wilderness permits.

Timed entry, May 22 to mid-October. In 2026, entering during set daytime hours also takes a timed entry reservation, and its only cost is a non-refundable $2 Recreation.gov processing fee, one per vehicle per day, on top of the entrance fee. Hours, the two permit types, and booking are on our Rocky Mountain timed entry page.

Wilderness camping. Overnight camping in the wilderness needs a permit with a $10 administrative fee per permit. You pay it with a Recreation.gov account, signing in when you're at the park's Wilderness Office in person. Bear canisters are required for every wilderness overnight, and you bring yours to the Wilderness Office to get the permit. Details are on the NPS wilderness backpacking page.

Trail Ridge Road and campgrounds. Driving over Trail Ridge Road counts as entering the park, so it takes a pass; the road's season is on our Trail Ridge Road page. Campground fees and booking are on our Rocky Mountain camping page.

Is the annual pass worth it?

Two 7-day vehicle passes cost $70, the same as the Rocky Mountain annual pass, so it breaks even on a second trip within the year. Short day trips shift the math: at $30 each, 1-day passes pass $70 on your third visit. The $80 America the Beautiful pass costs $10 more than the park pass and also covers other national parks and federal lands for a year. If you're 62 or older, the $80 Senior Lifetime Pass costs the same as one year of the regular pass. Rocky Mountain's fees don't change by season, so pick your dates on the best time to visit Rocky Mountain page and budget the pass separately.

For non-U.S. residents, the $250 pass wins fast. Three adults in one car pass it here alone. A solo traveler passes it at a second park that charges the nonresident fee, because two $100 fees and the $35 pass here already add up to $235 before that park's own entrance fee. The calculator above uses the 7-day prices. A 1-day car pass is $5 less.

Common questions.

How much is a day pass into Rocky Mountain National Park?

$30 for a private vehicle and everyone in it, $25 for up to two motorcycles, or $15 per person 16 and older on foot or bike. The 7-day versions cost $5 more: $35, $30, and $20. Non-U.S. residents 16 and older add $100 each unless a valid annual or America the Beautiful pass admits them.

Are national park passes per car or per person?

Both exist. At Rocky Mountain, a vehicle pass covers the car and everyone inside it, so passengers don't need their own. People on foot or a bike pay per person if they're 16 or older. The $100 nonresident fee is always per person.

Can you just drive through Rocky Mountain National Park?

Not without a pass. NPS says you need a valid entrance fee or park pass 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and that includes driving over Trail Ridge Road. In the timed entry season you may also need the $2 reservation, depending on when you enter.

How do you get into Rocky Mountain National Park without a reservation?

Enter before 9 a.m. or after 2 p.m. From May 22 through October 12, 2026, timed entry is required from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Bear Lake Road corridor needs its own reservation from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October 18. You still need an entrance pass either way.

Where these facts come from

Entrance, annual, America the Beautiful, and commercial tour prices, the 24-hour pass rule and outlying areas, where to buy, the card-only rule and the Conservancy cash option, mail-order and digital passes, photo ID, and the 2026 fee-free dates and their note on timed entry fees come from the NPS Rocky Mountain fees page. The timed entry season, hours, $2 fee, the per-vehicle rule, the Trail Ridge Road pass rule, and annual passes for cyclists come from the NPS timed entry page; the wilderness permit fee and bear canister rule from the NPS wilderness backpacking page. Pass coverage for nonresident passengers, photo ID at time of use, and residency documents come from the NPS nonresident fee page; the eleven-park list from the NPS entrance fee prices page; the $250 pass coverage and the U.S.-residents-only rule for fee-free days from the NPS entrance passes page. Daily visit figures are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from NPS Visitor Use Statistics, divided by the days in the month. Calculator results are our arithmetic on the fee table. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.