Fees & Passes

Free

No entrance pass required

An entrance pass is not required to access Missouri National Recreational River.

Other National Park Service sites may require an entrance pass or fee. Depending on your trip plans, an interagency pass may save you money.

There are no fees to enter Missouri National Recreational River or the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center adjacent to Gavins Point Dam. However, our state park partners do charge.

2025 Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Come experience the national parks! All National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone (other fees, including timed entry or reservation fees, may apply). Mark your calendar for these entrance fee-free dates:

• Monday, January 20 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Saturday, April 19 — First Day of National Park Week
• Thursday, June 19 — Juneteenth National Independence Day
• Monday, August 4 — Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
• Saturday, September 27 — National Public Lands Day
• Tuesday, November 11 — Veterans Day

 

A bench under a cottonwood tree is a great place to daydream.

NPS Photo

There are no fees to enter Missouri National Recreational River or the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center adjacent to Gavins Point Dam. However, our state park partners do charge.

Nebraska

• Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area
• Niobrara State Park
• Ponca State Park

The daily permit is $6.00 per vehicle ($8.00 nonresident of Nebraska). An annual permit is $31.00 per vehicle. A second permit costs $16.00.

South Dakota

• Lewis and Clark Recreation Area including the Chief White Crane and Pierson Ranch areas.
• Randall Creek Recreation Area

The daily entry permit is $6 if the vehicle has only one occupant; otherwise, it is $6 per vehicle. An annual permit is $30 per vehicle. A second vehicle permit costs $15. A transferable annual permit (one vehicle at a time) is $65.

Fishing & Hunting Licenses

• Fishing licenses are available from South Dakota (605-773-3393) and Nebraska (402-471-5455).
• Hunting Licenses are available from South Dakota (605-773-3393) and Nebraska (402-471-5455).

 

National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Pass

The American the Beautiful Pass system is your ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. Each pass covers entrance fees at national parks and national wildlife refuges as well as standard amenity fees at national forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. A pass covers entrance and standard amenity fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas or up to four adults at sites that charge per person. Children age 15 or under are admitted free.

Every Kid Outdoors

Available to U.S. 4th graders (including home-schooled and free-choice learners 10 years of age), the pass is valid for the duration of the 4th grade school year through the following summer (September through August). Educators can also be involved! Learn more by visiting the Every Kid Outdoors website.

Nearby Site Locations That Issue Passes

Lewis & Clark Visitor Center, located near Yankton at Gavins Point Dam
Homestead National Monument, Beatrice, Nebraska
Pipestone National Monument, Pipestone, Minnesota
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri Valley, Iowa
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Omaha, Nebraska