Yellowstone and Grand Teton fees, roads and wildlife rules 2026

Yellowstone and Grand Teton are separate national parks, and each one charges its own entrance fee. Both parks' fee pages say so plainly: traveling through Yellowstone's South Entrance, including trips to Jackson, takes you through Grand Teton, and the reverse is true. A route that touches both therefore pays twice. The Yellowstone and Grand Teton travel guide gives the overview, and the national park fee for visitors post explains the nonresident charge across the system.

For a private, non-commercial vehicle with a seating capacity of 15 or fewer, each park lists $35 for 7 consecutive days, and the pass covers all passengers. A motorcycle is $30 in each park. A visitor entering on foot or by bicycle, and aged 16 or over, pays $20 per person for 7 days, and children under 16 are admitted free. Yellowstone also lists a $30 snowmobile fee. These figures come from the park service fee pages checked on October 2, 2026, and the pages say the standard pass is shown as a range of $20 to $35, so confirm the type for your vehicle on the day you buy.

Buy before you arrive if you can. Yellowstone says you may purchase an entrance pass before arriving to save time, or at any entrance station upon arrival, and that its entrance stations take cash or credit and debit. Grand Teton lists only the Moose Entrance Station for in-person purchase of a vehicle pass, credit and debit only, and says the park does not accept cash. If you carry a card with no foreign transaction fee, use it here, and keep a second card as a backup because there is no cash option.

Both parks recognize three kinds of pass: a standard entrance pass, an annual pass for that park, and the America the Beautiful pass for federal recreation lands. The Yellowstone page recommends the standard pass for one visit, the park's annual pass for several visits, and the America the Beautiful pass if you will visit more than one national park or federal recreation site in 12 months. Annual passes require the pass holder to be present with identification, and Yellowstone says it cannot accept receipts or pictures of a pass in place of the actual card.

The standard America the Beautiful pass is for US citizens and residents. For visitors from abroad, the National Park Service lists a Non-Resident Annual Pass at $250, which covers the entire vehicle, and says nonresidents must pay entrance and any nonresident fees unless they have that pass. The nonresident fee applies at eleven parks, including Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon, so the pass can pay off on a longer western route. Do the arithmetic for your party: one vehicle at each of two parks, plus $100 for each non-US adult in the car at each park, compared with $250 for the pass.

Free entrance days apply only to US citizens and permanent residents, so they do not help a visitor from abroad, and annual pass options are explained on the National Park Service pass page.

The park service says Yellowstone is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, but that its roads are not. The only road generally open all year to regular vehicles runs from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, through the park to Cooke City, Montana, via Tower Junction. Most other roads close to regular vehicles from early November to late April, and open to limited oversnow travel by commercially guided snowmobile and snowcoach from mid-December to mid-March.

For 2026, the park projects these dates for regular vehicles, and warns they can change with the weather:

• April 17 to October 31: West Entrance to Madison, Madison to Old Faithful, Madison to Norris, Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris, and Norris to Canyon Village.

• May 1 to October 31: East Entrance to Fishing Bridge over Sylvan Pass, and Canyon Village to Bridge Bay.

• May 8 to October 31: South Entrance to West Thumb, West Thumb to Old Faithful over Craig Pass, West Thumb to Lake Village, and Tower-Roosevelt to Tower Fall.

• May 22 to October 12: Canyon Village to Tower Fall over Dunraven Pass, plus the Beartooth Highway and the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway outside the Northeast Entrance.

The park also projects oversnow travel dates from December 15, 2026, with end dates between March 7 and March 15, 2027. Roads typically open at 8:00 a.m. on the first day, and conditions can change quickly, so check the live map and webcams the week you travel. The park suggests calling (307) 344-2117 for recorded information or texting 82190 to 888-777 for road alerts. Grand Teton is open 24 hours every day year-round, though busy summer roads see lines at entrance gates, construction areas and wildlife stops.

The park service's wildlife guidance is direct. Animals in Yellowstone are wild and dangerous however docile they look, and the safest view is often from inside a car. Stay at least 100 yards from bears, wolves and cougars, and at least 25 yards from all other animals, including bison and elk. If an animal moves closer, back away to keep the distance. It is illegal to willfully remain near or approach wildlife.

Bison deserve special attention. The park says these large animals have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, and can run three times faster than a person. If a bison walks within 25 yards, turn around and go the other way. For surprise bear encounters, the park advises keeping your group together, slowly backing away, and drawing bear spray with the safety off if the bear approaches. A rental kiosk for bear spray at Canyon Village is listed for summer 2026, from May 23 to October 10.

The thermal features that draw visitors are also the most dangerous parts of the park. The park service warns that the ground around geysers and hot springs can look solid but be a thin crust with superheated water below, and that thermal runoff can be hot enough to injure. Walk only on boardwalks and designated trails, keep children close, and do not touch features or runoff. It is illegal to swim or bathe in water that is entirely of thermal origin. Pets are prohibited in thermal areas and on boardwalks, whether on a leash or carried in a stroller or backpack.

Old Faithful is one of the park's most predictable geysers. Rangers predict it and five other geysers, and predictions are posted at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center, at the lodges and in the NPS app. The center is typically closed from early November to mid-December and from mid-March to mid-April, so predictions are not available then.

The park says few facilities are open year-round and that services are limited from early November through late April. Summer 2026 dates vary by area, so check the facility table on the park's hours page for the exact dates of lodging, stores and visitor centers. Fuel is available 24 hours a day year-round at the Canyon, Fishing Bridge and Grant Village gas stations, according to the park, which makes them useful anchors for a loop.

Commercial airlines serve Cody and Jackson, Wyoming, Bozeman and Billings, Montana, and Idaho Falls, Idaho all year, with seasonal service to West Yellowstone from early May to mid-October. The park says train service is not available. A rental car is therefore the practical choice, and the five-day itinerary shows one way to use it. For beds, see where to stay near Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

These rules matter most to first-time visitors from outside the United States, who face the $100 nonresident fee at both parks and can easily overlook that the two fees are separate. Check the arithmetic for the Non-Resident Annual Pass if your route includes three or more listed parks. Then check road dates for your week, book lodging early, and carry a card for Grand Teton. If your plan includes a shoulder month, read the road table twice: a pass that is open in July can be closed by mid-October, and a route that looks short on a map can add hours when one segment is shut. Build one spare day into any itinerary so a closure becomes a swap, not a failure.

Fees and road rules are only part of the prep. Confirm entry in the ESTA guide, carry offline maps or an eSIM, and compare travel insurance for wildlife and remote-road risks. For rental cars across the country, see getting around the USA.