When we think of national parks, we picture a high-value experience at a fair price. Visitors soak up views of the most impressive natural formations in the U.S., and if lucky, catch a glimpse of rare wildlife passing through their unadulterated forests, plains, and mountains. But does this experience come at the straightforward cost of an entrance fee? Not always.
At face value, access seems fairly affordable, with the cost to enter a U.S. national park typically ranging between $0 and $35. And park visits are even more affordable with the America the Beautiful Park Pass in hand, which for a flat $80 annual fee unlocks unlimited visits to federal recreation lands, including parks, monuments, refuges, and forests.
But the actual cost of a national park can sometimes go beyond the entry ticket. You may face unexpected transportation fees if you need to fly or boat into an undeveloped location, parking charges, and shuttle fees, especially in remote areas. These expenses can add up quickly, and in some cases, push the cost of a trip into the great outdoors into the thousands. Here are the five most expensive national parks, with both explicit and hidden costs carefully considered, for a transparent view of how these premium parks really add up.
Read more: The Best Vacation Destinations Where The US Dollar Goes Furthest
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Two dogsledding teams crossing ice in Gates of the Arctic National Park – David Madison/Getty Images
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is as wild as it gets. There aren’t roads, campsites, or trails in the vicinity, just 8.4 million acres of glacier-cut tundras and valleys. You can only enter the park on foot or by plane, so whether you’re planning an advanced backcountry trek or flying in with a local outfitter, you can expect a lot of logistics when planning your visit.
While there’s no actual entrance fee for this national park, it can be costly to get inside. Those who aren’t braving the park by foot will need to fly into Anaktuvuk Pass, Coldfoot, or Bettles from the Fairbanks airport, as these towns have bush charters that take guests into the park’s boundaries.
Commute costs can rise into the thousands, with one visitor saying on Reddit: “Fly to Bettles or Coldfoot on Wright Air for ~150/person. From there, the bush/float plane will be anywhere from $600–$2000 each way total depending on how far in you go and your gross weight (there are thresholds that require bigger, costlier planes).” The reward for your efforts? Once in, there is a lifetime of floating experiences, Western Arctic caribou, and vast stretches of glacial slopes.
Glacier National Park
A snow-dappled mountain and lake in Glacier National Park – Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock
At a glance, Glacier National Park comes at a reasonable average cost with a $35 entrance fee. But hidden prices creep upward during high season when crowds come in droves, with 718,766 park guests visiting in the month of August in 2025 alone. As a result, the park embraced a timed-entry system to avoid overcrowding, which requires a vehicle reservation with an additional $2 processing fee.
It’s common to get around the park by shuttle, and complimentary buses make regular stops every 15 to 30 minutes from July 1 through Labor Day, taking guests to popular spots like Avalanche Creek and St. Mary Falls. However, not all park attractions are serviced by the shuttle, which means that visitors may need to pay more for a commercial option.
For example, the Many Glacier Valley is on the east side of the park and is accessible only to those with booked commercial shuttle tickets and lodge rooms from July to September in 2025. Shuttles operated by Xanterra depart from the St. Mary Visitor Center and cost $8 to $16 per passenger, per way, adding up quickly for families and large groups.
Dry Tortugas National Park
Historic Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park – Wirestock/Getty Images
Dry Tortugas National Park looks affordable on paper, with an entrance fee of $15 per person. However, this park is located about 70 miles away from Key West and the parts of the Florida Keys connected by the Overseas Highway, so it’s only accessible by a seaplane or boat. Since you can’t simply drive to the 100 square miles of the marine park, commuting from Key West can be expensive.
There are also no hotels in Dry Tortugas National Park, so unless you plan on securing one of the 10 primitive campsites on the island, you will need a ride to and from the park, as well as overnight lodging in the Keys. The Yankee Freedom National Park Ferry offers round-trip tickets starting at $250, including breakfast, lunch, and a 45-minute tour of the historic Fort Jefferson.
Seaplane Adventures offers 40-minute round-trip flights to the island, with prices ranging from $494 to $868 per person for a half- or full-day adventure. This totals to $509 to $883 after the $15 entrance fee, a steep price for a single person spending a day in a U.S. national park. With the average hotel room in Key West averaging between $350 and $654, depending on the season, just a single person visiting this park could expect to spend over a thousand dollars.
Kobuk Valley National Park
Winding rivers and lush green plains in Kobuk Valley National Park – BlueBarronPhoto/Shutterstock
Kobuk Valley National Park, like Gates of the Arctic National Park, lacks infrastructure within its boundaries, so visitors can’t explore its 1.75 million acres in a personal vehicle. Guests must fly from Anchorage or Fairbanks to the cities of Kotzebue or Bettles, located at the edges of the park. From there, tourists book an authorized air taxi into the park itself. This means you’ll need to take two flights just to get within Kobuk Valley’s boundaries, which adds a lot of expense.
A village charter can cost between $600 to $700 per hour. For a full-day exploration, Arctic Backcountry Flying Service offers a charter from Kotzebue to Kobuk for $2,250. While this comprehensive tour visits all villages and regions of the Kobuk Valley, it’s still among the highest-priced tours relative to other U.S. national parks.
You won’t find hotels or other amenities in the park, so the only way to spend the night is to bring your own gear and attempt advanced backcountry camping. Most guests instead opt to stay in neighboring towns like Ambler, which is home to the Kobuk River Lodge just outside the park. This property costs $350 per night, with meals included. While it’s a convenient launchpad for the park, it can substantially increase your trip’s overall budget.
Channel Islands National Park
A view of the Channel Islands on a clear bright day from above – Benedek/Getty Images
Channel Islands National Park boasts a cluster of five wild land masses located a dozen or more miles off California’s southern shore. Boat tours leave from the coastal towns of Ventura and Oxnard — and there’s no other way to access the park. But the islands offer a spot where you can see humpback, gray, and orca whales year-round, making it a unique destination for wildlife viewing.
Entry is free, but guests must book a ride with Island Packers Ferry to access the park. Expect to pay between $70 to $182 for a round-trip visit, and a bit more if you plan on camping at one of the park’s front country sites overnight. This is the only option, as there is no established lodging in the park.
If you’re not spending the night on one of the five islands, you’ll need to head back to California’s mainland to a room in a nearby town like Ventura. The average hotel cost in Ventura is $185 and climbs to a $345 average in high season, which can reach into the thousands when staying four or five nights in the summer.
Methodology
Icy mountains and a hazy pink and blue sky – nicepix/Shutterstock
The true cost of a U.S. national park is nuanced, extending beyond the cost of admission. Therefore, this list not only considers entry fee data from the National Park Service, but also considers the associated costs that come with entering one of the country’s 63 parks.
We diligently searched through the most common ferries and shuttles that are required partially or full-time within the parks, discerning which are free or come at a cost. Additionally, for national parks without lodging onsite, we’ve referenced various NPS charts, state tourism board sites, and forums such as Reddit for the most common nearby accommodations that outdoor enthusiasts stay at.
Finally, we took seasonality into consideration, sourcing both high and low average cost data that are largely dependent on a park’s popularity and seasonality. These factors are important to consider as they make free park services (such as parking and shuttling) challenging to obtain, which means that visitors may need to seek more expensive options from private vendors.
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Read the original article on Islands.