Booking choice: The lower loop van tour, from $292 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
There is no separate ticket for Old Faithful. The geyser sits beside a paved path and a boardwalk, and anyone who has paid to enter Yellowstone can watch it from the benches.
Money enters in two places: the park gate, and the tour if you want a guide, a drive from a gateway town and lunch. The fees below come from the National Park Service fees page, updated in June 2026, and from the tour listings, so check both before you pay.
The quick answer
The park entrance fee is $35 per private vehicle for 7 days, plus $100 per person aged 16 and over for visitors who live outside the U.S. Tours run from $20 for the audio driving tour and $182 for the geyser basin hike to $292 for the lower loop van tour, and almost none include the park fee.
Do you need a ticket to see Old Faithful?
No. There is no ticket for the geyser, only the park entrance fee.
The National Park Service Old Faithful page points visitors to the viewing area and the boardwalks that loop around the geyser. Nobody checks a ticket at the benches.
That is the honest starting point for every tour on this site. You can do the whole thing alone, and a tour sells the drive, the guide, lunch and the stops around the geyser.
How much is the Yellowstone entrance fee in 2026?
$35 per private vehicle, valid for 7 days and covering everyone inside.
- Private vehicle: $35 for 7 days.
- Motorcycle: $30 for 7 days.
- On foot or by bicycle: $20 per person aged 16 and over.
The National Park Service fees page adds that you can pay at any entrance station by cash or card, and no vehicle reservation is needed.
A small-group van from West Yellowstone that leaves at 7 am, so you skip the parking hunt.
Check dates for the lower loop van tourWhat does a visitor from outside the U.S. pay?
An extra $100 per person aged 16 and over, unless you hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass.
The National Park Service fees page lists the $100 surcharge on top of the entrance fee. Two non-U.S. adults in one rental car pay $35 plus $200, so $235. With a third adult the maths changes: $35 plus $300 comes to $335, and the $250 non-resident America the Beautiful pass, which skips the surcharge, becomes the cheaper way in.
How much does an Old Faithful tour cost?
From $20 for an app to $292 for the full-day van tour, and $650 for two days from Jackson.
The table lists each option with what it leaves out. Gratuities are extra on every guided tour.
| Option | Price | Length | Starts from | Park fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The audio driving tour | $20 | Your own pace | Anywhere in the park | Extra, and $100 more for non-U.S. residents |
| The geyser basin hike | $182 | 6 hours | Daisy Geyser trailhead | Extra, $35 per vehicle |
| The full-day guided tour | $269 | 11 hours | Cody, West Yellowstone, Big Sky, Fishing Bridge | Extra |
| The lower loop van tour | $292 | 8 hours | West Yellowstone | Extra |
| The Jackson lower loop tour | $325 | 12 hours | Jackson | Extra |
| The Jackson wildlife day tour | $329 | 13 hours | Jackson hotels | About $40 at the gate |
| The two-day tour | $650 | 2 days | Jackson hotels | Extra, lodging also extra |
| The private tour | $2,200 per group | 9 hours | West Yellowstone | Extra |
Do tours include the park entrance fee?
Almost never. Every listing on this site shows the fee as an extra.
The listing for the lower loop van tour says an annual pass covers 4 people in your party, and the one for the full-day guided tour says the fee is covered if you hold a national park pass and may be higher for international guests. The Jackson wildlife day tour puts the fee at about $40, paid at the gate. Ask the operator how it is collected before the day, because some guides sell the pass at the entrance.
Which pass is worth buying?
The $70 Yellowstone annual pass for U.S. residents, or the America the Beautiful pass at $80 resident and $250 non-resident.
The National Park Service fees page says passes are non-refundable and non-transferable, and that holders must show a photo ID. A pass pays off only if you will return to Yellowstone or visit other federal sites within the year. For a single trip with a car, the $35 vehicle fee is the cheapest way in for residents.
A GPS-triggered app that narrates the park in your own car, works offline and costs less than a guided day.
Explore the audio driving tourWhat is the cheapest way to see Old Faithful?
Drive in yourself, pay the vehicle fee and watch from the boardwalk.
A car of four from a nearby hotel pays $35 in total. Add the audio driving tour at $20 and you have a narrated day for $55. The cost of getting there and of lunch is yours on top.
What you give up is the guide, the spotting scope and someone else doing the driving, which the tour or drive yourself guide weighs in detail.
Which tour suits which budget?
Pick on what you want from the day, not on the lowest number.
- Lowest spend: the audio driving tour, with your own car.
- Feet on the trail: the geyser basin hike, six miles with lunch.
- The shortest drive to the geyser: the lower loop van tour from West Yellowstone.
- From Jackson, with a refund: the Jackson lower loop tour.
The West Yellowstone guide and the Jackson Hole guide compare the drives.
A small-group van, lunch, a spotting scope and the shortest drive to the geyser of any day tour here.
Explore the lower loop van tourFrequently asked questions
Do you need a ticket for Old Faithful?
No. There is no ticket for the geyser, only the park entrance fee of $35 per private vehicle for 7 days.
How much extra do non-U.S. residents pay?
$100 per person aged 16 and over, on top of the entrance fee, unless they hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass.
Is the park fee included in an Old Faithful tour?
Almost never. The tours on this site list it as an extra, so ask the operator how it is collected.
What is the cheapest Old Faithful tour?
The audio driving tour at $20, a GPS app for your own car. The park fee is extra.
Ready to book
Choose your Old Faithful tour
Every option here can be cancelled for a full refund; the deadline is on each listing. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Lower Loop Van Tour from West Yellowstone
- About 8 hours with a professional guide in an air-conditioned van
- Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, Yellowstone Lake and the Lower Loop overlooks
- Pickup from West Yellowstone hotels, 7:00 am start
Guided Upper Geyser Basin Hike with Lunch
Six miles past Morning Glory, Grand Geyser and Old Faithful, with a guide who explains each one
Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour of Yellowstone
A GPS-triggered app that narrates each stop in your own car, works offline
