The Grand Canyon is among the most popular canyons in the world. The Grand Canyon National Park offers breathtaking views, river rafting tours, hiking, horseback riding, and river swimming activities for every enthusiast willing to spend a day or more there.
If you are wondering how much it costs and what are the entrance fees for the Grand Canyon National park, you are on the right page. What every traveler should know is that admission to the Grand Canyon National Park is for seven days, including both the North Rim and South Rim.
The entrance fees cover the entrance to the Grand Canyon only, and fees such as reservation, camping, lodging, tours and other activities are not included within the price.
Note: In 2021, there are six days when all National Park Service sites will offer free admission. The dates for free admission are January 18, April 17, August 4, August 25, September 25, November 11, available for both individuals and groups.
Note: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grand Canyon National Park Service has decided to accept credit cards only (until further notice).
As mentioned above, admission to the Grand Canyon National Park is for 7days, including both the North and South Rim entrance station. There are three main types of entrance fees, including:
The places where the entrance pass can be bought are the NPS North Rim Entrance Station, the NPS South Entrance Station, and the NPS Desert View Entrance Station.
Campers interested in overnight camping anywhere within the Grand Canyon (other than the developed campgrounds at the North Rim and South Rim) will need a backcountry permit obtained from the Backcountry Information Center. Such backcountry permits cover the entrance fees for packrafters, night camping enthusiasts, and off-river trip campers.
The overnight backcountry permit comes per person (trip leader) and are required for:
Backcountry permits are not required for people interested in day hikes, stock rides, overnight camping at campgrounds, camping with private stock or stays at the dormitories or cabins at Phantom Ranch.
Backcountry permits are issued to the trip leader, who should provide itinerary and number of people specified on the permit. It can take up to 3 weeks for the authorities to respond (during popular months). All overnight backcountry permit requests are responded to by email.
The Backcountry Information Center does not provide reservations for river trips, mule trips, trips to the Havasupai Reservation, or Phantom Ranch lodging.
Note: Last minute permits can be sometimes obtained from rangers on duty at the Lees Ferry ranger station, but only for a limited number of use areas.
The access pass for backcountry permits is $10 per permit plus $8 per person or stock animal per night (if they camped below the rim). Similarly, the fees are $8 per group per night camped above the rim.
Annual passes are great for people interested in repeat visits, while lifetime pass options are available, too.
There are Annual Pass and Lifetime Pass options, which admit the pass holder plus any additional passengers in one single private non commercial vehicle (up to 15 passengers in a van/vehicle) for unlimited visits.
Alternatively, the Annual Pass admits the pass holder and three additional adults (not to exceed 4 adults in total) per person per fee. All children under 16 years old can access it for free for unlimited visits.
If you want access to the Grand Canyon, the easiest way to submit a permit request is to:
The access pass during the winter season is by hiking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing only – and backcountry permits are required for overnight use of the North Rim from the northern boundary to Bright Angel Point on the Grand Canyon rim.
