Park fees and the non-resident surcharge
For US residents the gate is simple, and both main tours already include it. Visitors from abroad now face a separate bill of $100 per person at each park, so a day covering both comes to $200. A $250 annual pass can beat that for a couple or a family. This guide does the arithmetic and explains how each tour collects the money.
What US residents pay
Bryce Canyon and Zion each charge about $35 per private vehicle, and that ticket covers seven days. Drive both parks and the car costs about $70 in total, however many people sit in it. A US America the Beautiful annual pass covers both parks along with other federal sites, so a family that visits several parks a year may already own one.
On a tour you skip the gate math entirely. National Park Express and MarVit Tours both build park entry for US residents into the fare, so the price you see already contains it.
The surcharge for visitors from abroad
Non-US residents aged 16 and over now pay a separate fee of $100 per person at these parks, set by the National Park Service. It applies on commercial tours as well as at the gate, and it comes on top of the tour price. A day trip that visits Bryce and Zion therefore costs each visiting adult $200 in fees. Children 15 and under pay nothing.
The alternative is a $250 non-resident annual pass. Per the tour listing, it covers the pass holder and up to three more adults on the same reservation. If other parks on your trip charge the surcharge too, the pass pays off even faster. The National Park Service's page on non-resident fees has the current rules, and those rules are what count at the gate.
The park entry that tour listings call included covers US residents only. Living abroad means planning for either the surcharge or the pass, whichever tour you book.
Doing the math
Everything below is for one Bryce and Zion day, counting only people aged 16 and over who live outside the US.
| Party | Paying park by park | With the annual pass | Cheaper option |
|---|---|---|---|
| One adult | $200 | $250 | Park by park |
| Two adults | $400 | $250 | The pass |
| Two adults, two children under 16 | $400 | $250 | The pass |
| Two adults, two teens aged 16 and 17 | $800 | $250 | The pass |
| Five adults | $1,000 | $250 plus $200 for the fifth | The pass |
A single adult on a single Bryce and Zion day comes out $50 ahead paying park by park, unless another park with the fee is coming up later in the trip. From two adults upward, the pass wins on this day alone. Teenagers count as adults from 16, so a family with older children fills the pass's four places quickly, and a fifth adult pays separately.
How each tour collects it
On National Park Express, from ~$219, the non-resident fee is not in the price. You pay it online or in person and show the pass to the guide, so you are not counted again at the gate. The tour asks you to bring a passport or ID, so pack it with your phone. Sort the pass before the morning of the trip rather than in the van at 5 am.
On MarVit Tours, from ~$229, the fee is collected on the day, which the listing calls "in destination". Ask the operator after booking how they take payment. If you already hold a non-resident annual pass, bring it along.
Pay the pass ahead, show it on the day
National Park Express includes entry for US residents and lets visitors from abroad pay the surcharge in advance and show the pass to the guide. Lunch at Bryce is part of the fare, from ~$219, with free cancellation until 24 hours before.
Extras with their own fee rules
Bryce Canyon Scenic Tours' 3-hour loop shows why the small print matters. On Viator it costs ~$85 without the park fee, while the GetYourGuide listing charges about $109 with the fee included. Both listings describe the same loop, which runs out to Fairyland Canyon and Natural Bridge and stops at Inspiration Point. Its catch is the start in Bryce Canyon City, so you need a night near the park first. Staying a night at Bryce covers where people sleep.
Empire Vacations' 3-day tour, from ~$590, lists entrance fees as included for its four stops. The catch is what that means for visitors from abroad, since three of the four are national parks. Ask the operator in writing before you book whether the surcharge is inside the price or collected on the day.
Self-drivers at the gate
Drive yourself and you pay the $35 vehicle fee at each park. Visitors from abroad also pay the $100 per person surcharge at the gate, so two adults from abroad in a rental face about $70 for the car plus $400 for themselves, or the car plus one $250 pass. Whether the non-resident pass also covers the vehicle is a detail to confirm on the National Park Service's page before you set off. Driving or taking a tour compares the rest of the costs.
What to carry for the gate
- A passport or ID. National Park Express asks for one, and the surcharge depends on where you live;
- Your pass. Carry the non-resident annual pass if you bought one, and show it to the guide before you reach the gate;
- A plan for MarVit's fee. It is collected on the day, so ask ahead how they take it.
Our packing guide covers the rest of the day bag. Families can check the age rules for each tour in our guide to the trip with children, and the full price comparison sets the fees beside every fare.