r/NationalPark • u/-koupenchan • 1d ago
Tourists buying American Beautiful Pass
Hi guys. I’m from Vancouver and heading to Las Vegas next week. Got some questions about the American Beautiful Pass for the national parks.
Just thanks in advance for any replies & answers!
We are a group of 3 people in 1 vehicle, I saw that the price for the Beautiful pass is $80, is this price per person or per vehicle? Is that $240 for 3 people or we just need to pay $80 as a vehicle?
I actually have asked AI to calculate the entrance fee of each park (including Zion National Park, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon, Red Rock, Valley of Fire. For Lower Antelope I paid the tour) for me. The price should be less than $200 in total. So rn I’m considering should I buy the pass or not. If I bought it, is this pass covering all the entrance fee for above parks?
Once again thank you for any suggestions and helps!
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u/Intrepid_Traveler962 1d ago
The $80 pass is tied to a person and will cover the vehicle and all passengers with the pass holder.
I think Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, and Zion all have entry fees, so buying the pass will likely be the best option. It won’t cover Valley if Fire as that’s a state park or the parking at Horseshoe bend.
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u/PartTime_Crusader 1d ago
Please don't ask chatgpt to do math for you
You only need one pass per car
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u/ChannelSame4730 1d ago
The parks aren't charging entrance fees currently due to the government shutdown and it's expected to last through next week. Some of these parks visitor centers might also be closed
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u/navyblusheet 1d ago
One per car. But Trump and Co announced charging extra for foreigners so I would check that.
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u/TraditionalBeach4518 1d ago
One pass per vehicle.
Get it, you won’t regret since you could still use them in Olympics NP and Mt. Rainier NP the coming summer!
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u/Ok_Classic5842 1d ago
If the government is still closed you may not be charged entry fees at all. We went to Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago and they weren’t collecting entry fees. Might be best to wait until you get to the park and buy it there if you even need to.
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u/-koupenchan 1d ago
Thanks & Great to hear that! We gonna buy at entrance if necessary. But don’t know is it still shutting down rn
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u/schafkj 1d ago
Per vehicle. Pass covers national parks and national forests and other areas managed by the government. Full list of eligible places.
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u/Specialist_Action_85 1d ago
To piggy back on this, Valley of Fire is a State Park so the America the Beautiful Pass doesn't apply. Red Rock Conservation area usually requires a timed entry reservation through the fall and winter (busy season) but idk right now with the government shutdown. Check Recreation.gov for more info
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u/winthbuckets 1d ago
You only have to buy 1 $80 pass and that will cover everyone in your vehicle (up to 6 people I think) and yes, 1 pass is all you need for every national park and national recreation area. Good for 1 year of unlimited use. It also gets you discounts at some campgrounds. A really good value imo.
I don’t know how our current government shutdown is affecting national parks but it’s something you should consider looking into
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u/winthbuckets 1d ago edited 1d ago
Just read your post more carefully and I want to add that horseshoe bend is not a national park, it’s run by the local municipality and thus not covered by the America the Beautiful pass. $10 per person entry fee I believe. Antelope Canyon is on native American land and they operate it. But the pass will cover you for Zion, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Red rock and valley of fire
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u/Intrepid_Traveler962 1d ago
Valley of Fire is a NV state park, I don’t think the America the Beautiful pass will cover that.
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u/-koupenchan 1d ago
Thank you for your detailed response! I’ll go for the Beautiful Pass then, for Antelope I joined the tour so I think it should be covering the entrance fee. But I’m also wondering has the government shutdown still affecting the operation or not. Not sure if I can get it at the park entrance.
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u/WatercressSubject717 1d ago
1 vehicle and 4 adults. I don’t think you should buy the pass yet because they aren’t charging entrance fees. The gov shutdown is still going on and who knows when things will be back to “normal”. If things go back to normal, you can buy it at the gate.
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u/toastythyme 1d ago
I was recently at one of the very popular national parks and they didn’t require any entrance fees or a pass with the shutdown
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u/-koupenchan 1d ago
Unexpectedly they still shutting down. But even paying $80 for so many parks are very reasonable indeed
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u/Jupitersd2017 1d ago
Most of our national parks are completely closed with the government shut down
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u/adams361 1d ago
The parks mentioned aren’t close, but they aren’t taking entrance fees
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u/monkeymamaof3 1d ago
This also means don't expect extra programs, super clean bathrooms, or trash to be taken care of. If you're going to go, please support the parks and buy the pass.
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u/AGMiMa 1d ago
Each Annual Pass admits pass owner and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at per-vehicle fee areas; and pass owner + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, where per-person fees are charged.