Grand Canyon Fees and Permits

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).

Grand Canyon National Park Entrance Fees

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:

• Grand Canyon National Park Vehicle Permit - $35 per person per night (U.S. Dollars) – for a single, non commercial and private vehicle and all its passengers, up to a 15 person passenger private vehicle/van (no organized groups).
• Grand Canyon National Park Motorcycle Permit - $30 per person/night (U.S. Dollars) – for one single, private, non-commercial motorcycle and its passenger(s).
• Grand Canyon National Park Individual Permit - $20 per person/night camped (U.S. Dollars) – for one person (15+ years) entering by foot, bicycle, shuttle bus, Grand Canyon Railway as public transportation or private rafting trip.
• Organized non commercial Groups (custom)
• Commercial Tour Fees (custom)

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.

Backcountry Permits (Backcountry Information Center)

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:

• overnight camping outside Desert View , Mather, and North Rim Campground
• overnight camping in all sites at Tuweep Campground
• overnight camping anywhere on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park (November 1st- May 14th and including ski-camping)
• off-river camping
• overnight camping with private stock outside of Mather Campground/North Rim Campground (from May 15th until October 31st)
• packrafting

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.

Permit Cost

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 Pass And Lifetime Pass

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.

How To Submit A Permit Request

If you want access to the Grand Canyon, the easiest way to submit a permit request is to:

• Fax the request to the Backcountry Information Center (24/7/365) at 928 -638-2125.
• Mail your request to the Grand Canyon National Park Permits Office, 1824 S. Thompson St., Suite 201, Flagstaff AZ, 86001.
• Bring your request to the Backcountry Information Center, which is located inside the park on the South Rim and North Rim. These offices are open daily (8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm Mountain Standard Time).

North Rim Winter Use

The winter use guidelines for the Grand Canyon National Park come into effect when the authorities on adequate snowfall to close the Highway 67 or December 1st, whatever comes sooner.

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.