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The Gate Price Changed in January and a Lot of Coverage Still Has It Wrong
Two tiers of annual pass, a $100 surcharge at eleven parks, and fee-free days that are no longer free for everyone.
A policy overhaul took effect on January 1 and it has been reported badly enough that it is worth setting out plainly. The America the Beautiful pass now comes in two tiers. The $80 annual pass is the version you already knew, formally designated the resident pass, covering entrance and standard day-use at roughly 2,000 federal sites run by the Park Service, Forest Service, BLM, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps.
The second tier is a $250 non-resident annual pass. Alongside it, eleven parks now charge non-residents a $100 per-person surcharge on entry. The resident pass exempts the holder from that surcharge, which is irrelevant to most American buyers and matters a great deal if you are travelling with someone who is not.
The wording is the part people get wrong, and it cuts in the generous direction: the surcharge applies to non-US residents, not non-US citizens. Permanent residents and green card holders pay the standard fee. If you live here and pay taxes here, your passport is not the question.
Fee-free days changed with it. There are eight this year and, since January, they apply only to citizens and permanent residents; a non-resident visiting on Constitution Day pays the entrance fee and any surcharge as normal. Passes bought before January 1 are honoured on their original terms until they expire.
One operational detail worth knowing before you drive up: Yosemite is now cashless at all entrance stations. Card or mobile payment only.
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