Montana Park Passes and Permits 2026: Fees, Shuttles, Licences

Montana visitors deal with four separate fee systems: federal sites (national parks and BLM monuments), Montana state parks, tribal lands, and fishing licences. A federal America the Beautiful pass covers the first group but not the others, and 2026 added a $100 per person fee for non-US residents at Glacier and Yellowstone.

This guide gives the 2026 prices published by each agency. Fees change often, so use the links at the end to check before you pay.

National park and monument entrance fees

• Motorcycles pay $30 at Glacier and Yellowstone ($20 at Glacier in winter, $20 at Little Bighorn).
• Children under 16 enter free.
• Glacier and Little Bighorn do not take cash; use a card or buy a digital pass on Recreation.gov.

The $100 nonresident fee and the $250 pass

From 2026, non-US residents aged 16 and over pay $100 per person on top of the normal entrance fee at 11 national parks, including both Glacier and Yellowstone. A car with four foreign adults entering Glacier in summer therefore pays $35 plus $400.

The fee does not apply if the vehicle is admitted with an annual pass. Non-US residents can buy the America the Beautiful nonresident annual pass for $250, which covers a whole private vehicle at per-vehicle sites, or the passholder plus three adults where fees are per person. For a group visiting both Glacier and Yellowstone, it pays for itself quickly. A valid pass bought before 2026 also covers the fee.

Two other 2026 changes: fee-free days now apply only to US residents, and the US-resident America the Beautiful pass costs $80. US residents show a US passport, US driver's licence or state ID, or a Permanent Resident card.

What America the Beautiful covers in Montana

• Yes: Glacier, Yellowstone, Little Bighorn, Pompeys Pillar and other federal sites with entrance fees.
• No: Montana state parks, the CSKT Bison Range, tribal recreation permits, fishing licences, campsites, and the Logan Pass shuttle processing fee.

Logan Pass shuttle tickets and parking

Glacier had no vehicle reservations anywhere in the park in 2026. Instead, from July 1 to September 7, 2026:

• A ticketed express shuttle ran to Logan Pass from Apgar Visitor Center and Lake McDonald Lodge on the west side and from Rising Sun Picnic Area and St. Mary Visitor Center on the east.
• Tickets were sold only on Recreation.gov. The only charge was a $1 processing fee per ticket.
• Part of the tickets went on sale 60 days ahead on a rolling basis (from May 2 at 8 a.m. MDT); the rest were released at 7 p.m. MDT the evening before.
• All private-vehicle spaces at Logan Pass had a three-hour limit, enforced 24 hours a day.
• Avalanche Lake and the Trail of the Cedars could not be reached by park shuttle in 2026.

The park has not yet published 2027 arrangements; check nps.gov/glac in spring.

Backcountry permits

Glacier (2026 season):

• Lotteries in March: large groups (9 to 12 campers) applied March 1, standard groups (1 to 8) March 15. Application fee $10, non-refundable.
• General reservations opened May 1 on Recreation.gov.
• $7 per person per night plus a $10 administrative fee.
• About 30% of sites are kept for walk-up permits, issued the day before or the day of the trip at park permit stations.

Yellowstone:

• A permit is required for every overnight stay in the backcountry, all year.
• Early Access Lottery: applications March 1 to 20 ($10).
• General booking opened April 26 for May 15 to October 31; for November 1 to May 14 it opens October 6.
• $5 per person per night plus a $10 reservation fee; book at least three days ahead, then collect the permit in person.

Montana state parks

Montana has 55 state parks, run by Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).

• Residents enter free if they paid the optional parks fee (currently $9.27) with their light-vehicle registration.
• Nonresidents pay $8 per vehicle per day, $4 on foot or by bike, $35 for a 7-day pass or $50 for an annual vehicle pass.
• Cave tours at Lewis and Clark Caverns are extra: $15 adults, $10 ages 5 to 14 for the Classic tour.
• FWP has proposed raising the nonresident fees to $10 a day, $50 for 7 days and $70 a year, no earlier than 2027. Check before you pay.

CSKT Bison Range

The Bison Range near Moiese has been run by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes since 2022 and does not accept any federal passes. A personal-vehicle day pass is $20 and an annual pass $60; there are no senior, military or student discounts. Red Sleep Drive was expected to close for winter on November 2, 2026; Prairie Drive stays open all year, weather permitting.

Fishing licences

Montana state waters (2026 licence year, March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027):

• Nonresidents: $10 Conservation Licence plus $7.50 Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Pass, plus a fishing licence: $14 for 1 day, $56 for 5 consecutive days or $100 for the season. A full nonresident season costs $117.50.
• Residents: $8 Conservation, $2 AIS pass and $21 season licence.
• Children 11 and under need no licence.

Yellowstone uses its own permit; state licences are not valid there. Anglers 16 and over pay $40 for 3 days, $55 for 7 days or $75 for the season, on Recreation.gov. Most waters open from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend to October 31.

Glacier needs no licence inside park boundaries, except on the Middle Fork of the Flathead from park land or bridges (Montana licence), and Lower Two Medicine Lake follows Blackfeet Nation rules.

Tribal lands

Each of Montana's seven reservations sets its own rules for non-members.

• Flathead Reservation (CSKT): non-members need a tribal Conservation Licence to recreate on tribal lands. For visitors from outside Montana it is $100 for the season or $80 for a 3-day use licence. Fishing adds a Flathead Reservation fishing licence and CSKT prevention pass; a combined 1-day conservation and fishing licence is $80 plus $14, and the south-half Flathead Lake fishing licence is $19 plus $14. No licence is needed for boating or swimming on Flathead Lake or for visiting the Bison Range. Licences are sold through FWP's online system and at local businesses.
• Blackfeet Reservation (east of Glacier): non-members need a general recreation permit plus activity permits to hike, fish or camp on tribal land, sold online and at Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife in Browning.
• Crow Reservation: tribal permits are not required inside Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

Before you go

• Decide whether a $250 nonresident pass or $80 resident pass beats paying per park.
• Book Logan Pass shuttle seats 60 days ahead or at 7 p.m. MDT the night before.
• Buy fishing licences online before you reach the water.
• Carry a card: several sites no longer take cash.
• Check tribal rules before hiking or fishing on reservation land.

Details checked October 2026.