Sequoia National Park entrance fee and passes.

Paying at the gate and buying ahead.

At the gate, bring a card. Entrance passes are sold at the Ash Mountain and Big Stump entrance stations, and the park only takes cashless payments there. Most credit cards, debit cards, and digital payments work, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. NPS says reservations to enter are not accepted or required.

Paying with cash. Two Sequoia Parks Conservancy stores sell the $35 seven-day vehicle pass for cash. Near the Sequoia entrance on Highway 198 by Three Rivers, it's the store in the Foothills Visitor Center. Near the Kings Canyon entrance on Highway 180 by Grant Grove, it's the store at the Kings Canyon Visitor Center.

Or buy ahead. A digital America the Beautiful pass from Recreation.gov saves to your phone and works right away. A physical pass ordered online can take up to three weeks to arrive, and NPS won't accept the order receipt in place of the 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.

Buses, tour vehicles, and groups. A non-commercial group in a vehicle that holds up to 15 people pays the $35 vehicle fee or uses a park pass. In a bus or vehicle that holds 16 or more, it's $20 per person, up to $100 or $200, the commercial rate for a vehicle that size. Kids 15 and under, anyone with a pass, and drivers hired only to drive are exempt. Commercial tours pay by seating capacity, not by who's aboard: $100 for 16 to 25 seats and $200 for 26 or more. A commercial group paying per person owes $20 for each resident 16 or older and $100 for each nonresident, good for seven consecutive days. Commercial vehicle fees can't be bought in advance.

Where the money goes. NPS says 80% of entrance and camping fees directly fund projects in the parks.

The $100 nonresident fee.

Each non-U.S. resident 16 and older pays a $100 nonresident fee at Sequoia and Kings Canyon on top of the standard entrance fee, unless they come in on an annual or America the Beautiful pass. That includes people on commercial, CUA, and concessioner tours. For two non-U.S. adults in a rental car, 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 here 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 Sequoia and Kings Canyon 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.

Which parks charge it. Eleven national parks charge the $100 fee, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon count as one of them: 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. Yosemite is on the list, so Sequoia plus Yosemite is $200 a head in nonresident fees before any vehicle fees. 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. Seven of those days have passed (February 16, May 25, June 14, July 3 to 5, and August 25), and three are left: September 17, October 27, and November 11. Entrance is free for U.S. citizens and residents only, and NPS notes other fees may still apply.

The three days left fall in calmer months. Over the past five years, September has averaged about 4,100 recreation visits a day, October about 3,000, and November about 2,000, against about 6,300 a day in July, the park's busiest month. November 11 is the quietest of the three.

School groups. Schools and other educational groups may qualify for an academic fee waiver. Apply at least two weeks before the trip.

Wilderness permits and Crystal Cave.

Wilderness permits. In 2026 the quota season runs from May 22 to September 26. During it, the number of people starting trips each day is limited by entry point, and a fee applies: $15 per trip plus $5 per person. You pay on Recreation.gov for a reservation, or at the issuing station for a walk-up permit, where rangers can't make change. The per-person part is refundable if you cancel or cut your party size up to a week before the trip. Four people on one trip pay $15 plus $20, or $35, on top of the entrance fee. From September 27, 2026 to May 20, 2027, permits are free and self-issued, with no daily quota. Details are on the NPS wilderness permits page.

Crystal Cave. The cave takes its own ticket. Guided tours are run by the Sequoia Parks Conservancy, tickets are sold online at least 36 hours ahead, and none are sold at the cave. Tours have ended for the 2026 season and are expected to start again in late spring 2027, per the NPS Crystal Cave page.

Camping. Campground fees and booking are on our Sequoia camping page.

Is the annual pass worth it?

Two seven-day vehicle passes cost $70, the same as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon annual pass, so it breaks even on a second trip within the year and saves money from the third. If Sequoia is one stop on a longer trip, look at the $80 America the Beautiful pass. Yosemite charges $35 per vehicle, so Sequoia plus Yosemite is $70 at the gates, just under the pass. Add one more park with an entrance fee and the pass comes out ahead. If you're 62 or older, the $80 Senior Lifetime Pass costs the same as one year of the regular pass. Sequoia's fees don't change by season, so pick your dates on the best time to visit Sequoia page and budget the pass separately.

For non-U.S. residents, the math tips toward the $250 pass fast. Three adults in one car cross it here alone. A solo traveler crosses it on a second park that charges the nonresident fee, such as Yosemite: $135 at each gate is $270. The calculator above runs your own numbers.

Common questions.

Can you just drive through Sequoia National Park?

Not for free. The NPS fees page lists no drive-through exemption. You enter with a standard, annual, or America the Beautiful pass, and the $35 vehicle pass covers everyone in the car for up to seven days. You don't need a reservation.

Which is better, Sequoia or Kings Canyon?

For the entrance fee it makes no difference. One $35 vehicle pass covers both parks for up to seven days, so you can see both without paying twice.

Is there a parking fee at Sequoia National Park?

The NPS fees page lists no parking fee apart from the entrance pass. The $35 vehicle pass covers the car and everyone in it for up to seven days.

Where these facts come from

Entrance, annual, America the Beautiful, group, and commercial prices, the two-park coverage, the no-reservation rule, the entrance stations and cashless rule, the Conservancy cash stores, digital and mail-order passes, photo ID, the 4th grade pass rules, where fee money goes, the academic fee waiver, and the 2026 fee-free dates come from the NPS Sequoia and Kings Canyon fees page. Quota season dates, permit fees, refunds, walk-up payment, and free off-season permits come from the NPS wilderness permits page; Crystal Cave tickets and the 2026 season from the NPS Crystal Cave 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. The Yosemite vehicle fee comes from our fee table built from the NPS Yosemite fees 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 and the permit example are our arithmetic on the fee table. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.