Yosemite National Park entrance fee and passes.

Buying and using the pass.

At the gate, bring a card. Passes are sold at all five entrance stations: South, Arch Rock, Big Oak Flat, Hetch Hetchy, and Tioga Pass. None of them take cash. NPS accepts major credit cards and mobile payment. In a private vehicle you pay only the vehicle fee, not $20 for each person. Every entrance except Hetch Hetchy is open 24 hours a day. The Tioga Pass Entrance is on Tioga Road, and its season is on our Tioga Road page.

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. NPS suggests ordering at least three weeks ahead or picking one up in person.

What a pass doesn't cover. NPS says America the Beautiful passes cover park entrance fees but not reservation requirements or fees when those are in place. Half Dome and wilderness permits are paid separately.

Buses, tour vehicles, and groups. The $35 rate is for a vehicle with 15 or fewer passenger seats. A non-commercial group of 16 or more pays $20 a person, up to $300 per vehicle, and kids 15 and under are free. Commercial tours need a commercial use authorization. A mini-bus with 16 to 25 seats pays $200 and a motor coach with 26 or more seats pays $300, each good for seven consecutive days, plus $100 for each nonresident 16 or older. A commercial group paying per person owes $20 for each resident 16 or older and $100 for each nonresident. The $100 fee applies to nonresidents on commercial, CUA, and concessioner tours.

The $100 nonresident fee.

Each non-U.S. resident 16 and older pays a $100 nonresident fee at Yosemite on top of the standard entrance fee, unless they come in on an annual or America the Beautiful pass. 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 at Yosemite 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 the holder and three more adults where fees are per person. That includes the $70 Yosemite 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.

Yosemite is one of eleven parks that charge this fee, per the NPS entrance fee prices page. Sequoia and Kings Canyon is on the list too, so Yosemite plus Sequoia 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: February 16, May 25, June 14, July 3 to 5, August 25, September 17, October 27, and November 11. Entrance is free for U.S. citizens and residents only. Seven of the ten have passed. The three left are September 17, October 27, and November 11.

Most of the 2026 days fell in Yosemite's busy season, when August averages about 17,300 recreation visits a day over the past five years. The three left are quieter. September averages about 15,800 a day and October about 13,300. November averages about 7,200, so November 11 is the quiet pick.

School and science groups. Accredited or tax-exempt educational and scientific groups can get an educational fee waiver for a trip tied to Yosemite that isn't mainly recreational. The waiver is listed on the NPS fees page.

Reservations, Half Dome, and wilderness permits.

No entry reservation in 2026. Yosemite isn't using a timed reservation system this year, so the entrance fee is all you need to drive in; our Yosemite reservations page covers what changed.

Half Dome. Day hikers need a permit to reach the top of Half Dome whenever the cables are up, seven days a week. The cables normally go up the Friday before Memorial Day, and the last day to use them is the day after the second Monday in October. The lottery application costs $10, per application rather than per person, and it's non-refundable. If you get a permit, you pay $10 per person. That $10 comes back if you cancel by 11:59 p.m. Pacific the day before your hike, or if the cables aren't up on your date. Four friends who win pay $10 plus $40, or $50, on top of the entrance fee. Details are on the NPS Half Dome permits page.

Wilderness permits. Backpacking, overnight climbing, or any other overnight stay in the Yosemite Wilderness needs a wilderness permit, all year. Day hikes (except Half Dome), lodges, and frontcountry campgrounds don't. A reservation costs $10 per application, plus $5 per person if you get a permit, and neither fee is refunded. From about November through April, permits are available at permit stations with no reservation or fee. Backpackers starting from eligible trailheads can add Half Dome when they pick up the wilderness permit, for $10 per person more. Details are on the NPS wilderness permits page.

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

Is the annual pass worth it?

Two seven-day vehicle passes cost $70, the same as the Yosemite Annual Pass, so the annual pass breaks even on a second trip within 12 months and saves money from the third. If Yosemite is one stop on a longer trip, look at the $80 America the Beautiful pass. Sequoia and Kings Canyon charges $35 per vehicle, so Yosemite plus Sequoia 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. Yosemite's fees don't change by season, so pick your dates on the best time to visit Yosemite 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 at Yosemite alone. A solo traveler crosses it on a second park that charges the nonresident fee, such as Sequoia and Kings Canyon: $135 at each gate is $270. The calculator above runs your own numbers.

Common questions.

Can I enter Yosemite for free?

On fee-free days, if you're a U.S. citizen or resident. NPS lists ten in 2026, and three are left: September 17, October 27, and November 11. Kids 15 and under never pay, and the Access, military, and 4th grade passes are free. Qualifying educational and scientific groups can apply for a fee waiver.

Can I just go to Yosemite without a reservation?

Yes. Yosemite isn't using a timed reservation system in 2026, so you can drive up and pay the $35 vehicle fee at the entrance station by card or mobile payment. Half Dome day hikes and overnight wilderness trips still need permits.

How much does it cost to drive into Yosemite?

$35 per private vehicle, which covers everyone inside for seven consecutive days. A motorcycle pass is $30. Non-U.S. residents 16 and older add $100 each unless someone in the vehicle holds a valid annual or America the Beautiful pass.

Do seniors get a discount at Yosemite?

Yes, if they're U.S. citizens or residents 62 and older. The Senior Annual Pass is $20 and the Senior Lifetime Pass is $80. Either covers the entrance fee for the holder and passengers in a private vehicle, and it covers the $100 nonresident fee for passengers too.

Where these facts come from

Entrance, annual, America the Beautiful, group, and commercial prices, the card-only entrance stations, the 24-hour entrances, what a pass doesn't cover, digital and mail-order passes, the educational fee waiver, and the 2026 fee-free dates come from the NPS Yosemite fees page. The no-reservation rule for 2026 comes from the NPS Yosemite entrance reservations 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. Half Dome permit fees and the cables season come from the NPS Half Dome permits page; when a wilderness permit is needed from the NPS wilderness permits page; wilderness reservation fees from the NPS wilderness permit reservations page; the no-fee winter window and the backpacker Half Dome add-on from the NPS wilderness permit FAQ. The Sequoia and Kings Canyon vehicle fee comes from our fee table built from the NPS Sequoia and Kings Canyon 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 are our arithmetic on the fee table. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.