Yosemite Park Tours from San FranciscoThe Yosemite Nonresident Fee: Who Pays It and How Tours Handle It
The Yosemite nonresident fee is an extra $100 per person on top of the normal park entrance, and it applies to every visitor aged 16 or older who is not a U.S. resident. On most Yosemite tours from San Francisco it is not included in the listed price. This page explains who pays, who is exempt, how each tour collects the money and the one tour that covers it for you. It also sets the fee alongside the standard charges of $35 per car and $20 per person on foot, and lists the fee-free days when none of it applies. The tours themselves are compared on Yosemite National Park tours from San Francisco.
The Big Oak Flat entrance station, one of the gates park rangers check for a valid pass. Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer The short answer
Since 1 January 2026 the Yosemite nonresident fee is $100 per person for every visitor aged 16 and over who is not a U.S. resident, paid on top of the standard $35 vehicle or $20 per-person entrance. Children under 16 are exempt. On every day tour from San Francisco except one, the fee is collected separately, after booking or on the bus. The private tour is the only listing where the operator covers it.
Key takeaways
- See exactly how much and when each operator collects it in the tour-by-tour table.
- The private tour from San Francisco is the only listing that includes the nonresident fee in its $1,200 price.
- Holders of the $250 America the Beautiful non-resident annual pass pay nothing extra, and the pass covers up to 4 people traveling together.
- Visiting more parks on one trip? The $250 pass pays off at all 11 parks with the surcharge.
Who Pays the Yosemite Nonresident Fee
The rule is simple once you know the two tests: age and residence.
The Rule Since 1 January 2026
Every visitor aged 16 or older who is not a U.S. resident pays an extra $100 per person to enter Yosemite, on top of the standard entrance fee. The fee is per person, so a family of two nonresident adults pays $200 in surcharges alone. It applies at the gate and, importantly, to tour passengers as well.
The fact that your tour operator holds its own commercial entry permit does not exempt you. Operators collect the surcharge per person, and several listings say so in plain terms.
Who Does Not Pay
Three groups skip the $100 surcharge entirely. Children under 16 pay nothing beyond the standard entrance. U.S. residents are not touched by the surcharge at all, which is why every tour on this site lists its price as the full cost for American visitors.
And holders of the America the Beautiful non-resident annual pass, which costs $250, enter without the surcharge. Several tour listings note that this pass covers up to 4 people traveling together, so a family or group of friends can share one pass and wipe out the fee for everyone.
Sources: Yosemite fees, Road conditions
How Each Tour Handles the Fee
This is where bookings go wrong. Almost no tour price includes the $100 surcharge, and each operator collects it in its own way, at its own moment.
Tour by Tour: Amount and Collection
The table below compares what each listing itself says about the nonresident fee: the amount, when it is collected and how. Only one listing, the private tour, covers the fee inside the price. The amounts differ slightly between operators because one lists the government fee as $103 rather than $100.
Read your own listing carefully before you pay, and remember a $250 America the Beautiful non-resident pass exempts you wherever the fee applies.
| Tour | Price | Nonresident fee | How it is collected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip | $239 | May apply for non-U.S. residents 16+ | Collected in person on site if it applies |
| Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Hike | $224 | $100 | Payment link to the operator after booking, or on the bus |
| Day Trip to Yosemite National Park | $219 | May apply, amount not stated | Not stated on the listing |
| Full Day Tour from San Francisco | $199 | $103 government fee | Paid at the destination, not at booking |
| Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Small Group Tour | $229 | May apply, amount not stated | Not stated on the listing |
| 2-Day Tour with Lodging | $629 | About $100 per person | Paid at the destination |
| 2-Day Guided Trip with Pickup | $251 | Not mentioned on the listing | Not stated |
| 3-Day Tour Without Accommodation | $251 | $100 | Payment link after booking, or on the bus at the start |
| Private Tour from San Francisco | $1,200 | Included, the operator covers it | Nothing to pay |
Why a Tour Does Not Remove the Fee
It is a common assumption that once you hand over $199 to $239 for one of the Yosemite National Park tours from San Francisco, the park is paid for. For U.S. residents that is true, because every listing includes the standard entrance for them. For non-U.S. residents it is not.
The operators pay their own commercial entry as businesses, and the $100 surcharge is charged to each individual nonresident visitor on top. The park service confirms a tour passenger is not exempt just because the operator pays its own commercial entry. Budget an extra $100 per adult over 16 into your trip, whatever you book.
Paying It on the Day
How the fee reaches you depends on the seller. Extranomical sends a payment link after booking, or collects $100 on the bus on the 3-day tour. Gray Line asks for its $103 government fee at the destination, and the 2-day tour with lodging collects about $100 per person there too.
Best Bay Area Tours says the fee is collected in person if it applies. Bring a card or cash for it, and have the $250 America the Beautiful non-resident pass in hand if you bought one, since it replaces the payment for its holder. Children under 16 pay nothing, so a family of two adults and two teenagers aged 14 and 15 pays $200 on top of the tour price.
How to Deal With the Fee
Four honest routes, depending on your passport, your group and your budget.
If You are a U.S. resident or under 16
You owe nothing beyond the standard entrance, which every tour already includes. Book any day trip and ignore the surcharge.
If You want nothing to pay on the day and money is not the constraint
The private tour for up to 5 people at $1,200 is the only listing where the operator covers the nonresident fee itself.
If You are visiting two or more of the 11 surcharge parks on one trip
Buy the $250 America the Beautiful non-resident annual pass before you go. Two parks at $100 each already pass break-even for one person, and the pass covers up to 4 people traveling together.
If You are a nonresident traveling with an operator that collects on site
Carry a card or cash for the $100 or $103 per person, and book the Extranomical day tour only if you are happy paying a payment link after booking. Ask the operator before you travel if the collection method is unclear.
Standard Fees and Fee-Free Days
The surcharge sits on top of the ordinary entrance fee, and both disappear on a handful of days each year.
The Standard Entrance Fee
Yosemite charges $35 per private vehicle or $20 per person arriving on foot or by bike, and either ticket is valid for 7 days. Every tour on this site includes the standard entrance fee for U.S. residents. Other options: a Yosemite annual pass costs $70, the America the Beautiful annual pass costs $80 for U.S. residents and $250 for non-residents, a senior annual pass is $20, military entry is free and a motorcycle is $30.
If you would rather drive yourself, the San Francisco to Yosemite guide covers the route, about 195 miles and 4 to 5 hours each way.
Fee-Free Days in 2026
On the park's fee-free days the entrance fee is waived, which is the one honest way to visit without paying either the standard fee or the surcharge. The 2026 dates are 16 February, 25 May, 14 June, 3 to 5 July, 25 August, 17 September, 27 October and 11 November. Expect company on those days.
The park does not require a vehicle or timed-entry reservation in 2026, but it manages valley parking and traffic in real time, so arrive early or come on a tour where the driving is handled for you.
Tunnel View, the overlook most tours stop at on the way into the valley. Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The 11 Parks That Charge It
Yosemite is not alone, and that matters if your trip covers more than one park.
Where the $250 Pass Pays Off
The $100 surcharge applies at 11 national parks: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. A nonresident visiting three of them pays $300 in surcharges, more than the $250 pass, and the pass lasts a full year. Because it covers up to 4 people traveling together, the math improves fast for couples and families on a multi-park road trip.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon is on the list too, so a trip that adds it to Yosemite means two surcharges per adult without the pass.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost a non-resident to visit Yosemite?
A non-U.S. resident aged 16 or over pays $100 on top of the standard entrance of $35 per vehicle or $20 per person on foot. On most Yosemite tours from San Francisco the $100 is not in the listed price and is collected separately.
How can I avoid the nonresident fee?
Buy the America the Beautiful non-resident annual pass for $250, which waives the surcharge and covers up to 4 people traveling together, or visit on one of the fee-free days. The only tour that covers the fee itself is the private tour from San Francisco.
Does the fee apply to children?
No. Children under 16 are exempt from the $100 surcharge and pay only the standard entrance, and the 2-day tour with lodging includes that standard entry for all passengers.
Do tour passengers have to pay the surcharge?
Yes. The park service is clear that a tour passenger is not exempt because the operator pays its own commercial entry. On the Extranomical day tour the $100 is collected through a payment link after booking or on the bus.
Is there a fee to enter Yosemite at all?
Yes, $35 per private vehicle or $20 per person on foot or bike, valid 7 days, plus the $100 surcharge for non-U.S. residents 16 and over. U.S. residents who book a day tour already have the standard fee covered.
Why does one tour list $103 instead of $100?
The park fee is $100 per person, but the Gray Line listing quotes a $103 government fee paid at the destination. Each listing's own figure is printed next to its own tour rather than tidied into one number.
Does the surcharge apply at other national parks?
It applies at 11 parks, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon. If your trip covers two or more, the $250 America the Beautiful non-resident pass works out cheaper, as the guide to the surcharge parks explains.