California · National Park
Lassen Volcanic: tour or DIY?
Checked Oct 26, 2026 · Source: NPS
Lassen Volcanic charges $30 per private vehicle, good for 7 days, according to the National Park Service (checked Oct 26, 2026). The $80 America the Beautiful pass beats paying at the gate after 3 visits. One fee covers the whole car, so a party of four pays $7.50 each to enter, which favors driving yourself.
DIY wins on entry cost for groups
The $30 vehicle fee is paid once for everyone in the car. A tour only beats driving yourself if it saves you real money or time on fuel, parking, shuttles and planning.
We do not print tour prices here because we do not have a live, licensed feed for them. Enter a real quote in the calculator and we prefill this park’s fee.
| Party | Entrance total | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $30 | $30 |
| 2 people | $30 | $15 |
| 4 people | $30 | $7.50 |
| 6 people | $30 | $5 |
Arithmetic on the NPS fee of $30. The vehicle fee covers all passengers, so cost per person falls as the group grows.
Entrance fees
| Fee | Cost | Notes from NPS |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance - Private Vehicle | $30 | Admits one private, non-commercial vehicle. Valid for up to 7 consecutive days from day of purchase at Lassen Volcanic National Park. When entrance station is not staffed, digital passes may be purchased online at recreation.gov. |
| Entrance - Private Vehicle | $10 | Discounted entry fee during winter. Admits one private, non-commercial vehicle. Valid for up to 7 consecutive days from day of purchase at Lassen Volcanic National Park. When entrance station is not staffed, digital passes may be purchased online at recreation.gov. |
| Entrance - Motorcycle | $25 | Valid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. When entrance station is not staffed, digital passes may be purchased online at recreation.gov. |
| Entrance - Per Person | $15 | Per-person entrance fee used to admit one person on foot or bicycle. Also used for individuals traveling together in a vehicle as a non-commercial, organized group. Valid for up to 7 consecutive days from day of purchase at Lassen Volcanic National Park. |
| Entrance - Education/Academic Groups | $0 | Park entrance fees are waived for eligible academic groups with approved fee waiver application. Applications must be submitted at least two weeks prior to park visit. |
| Commercial Entrance - Sedan | $25 | Valid for up to 7 consecutive days for a vehicle carrying the same group of passengers. A commercial tour is defined as consisting of one or more persons traveling on an itinerary that has been packaged, priced, or sold for leisure or recreational purposes by an organization… |
| Commercial Entrance - Van | $50 | Valid for up to 7 consecutive days for a vehicle carrying the same group of passengers. A commercial tour is defined as consisting of one or more persons traveling on an itinerary that has been packaged, priced, or sold for leisure or recreational purposes by an organization… |
| Commercial Entrance - Mini-bus | $60 | Valid for up to 7 consecutive days for a vehicle carrying the same group of passengers. A commercial tour is defined as consisting of one or more persons traveling on an itinerary that has been packaged, priced, or sold for leisure or recreational purposes by an organization… |
| Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach | $150 | Valid for up to 7 consecutive days for a vehicle carrying the same group of passengers. A commercial tour is defined as consisting of one or more persons traveling on an itinerary that has been packaged, priced, or sold for leisure or recreational purposes by an organization… |
| Entrance - Motorcycle | $10 | Discounted entry fee for winter. Admits one private, non-commercial motorcycle and its riders. Valid for up to 7 consecutive days from day of purchase at Lassen Volcanic National Park. When entrance station is not staffed, digital passes may be purchased online at recreation.gov. |
| Entrance - Per Person | $10 | Discounted entry fee for winter. Per-person entrance fee used to admit one person on foot or bicycle. Also used for individuals traveling together in a vehicle as a non-commercial, organized group. |
Source: nps.gov fees and passes for Lassen Volcanic via the NPS API, checked Oct 26, 2026. Fees change; confirm before you go.
Pass math
- The $80 America the Beautiful Resident Annual Pass equals 3 visits at $30 per vehicle, here or at any other fee site.
- Seniors 62+ pay $20 for an annual pass or $80 for lifetime.
- Lassen Volcanic also sells its own pass: Annual Entrance - Park, $55.
When it is busiest
NPS recreation visits by month, 2025. July had 22% of the year; February was the quietest month, with about 6% of the busiest month’s visits.
Show the numbers
| Month | Recreation visits |
|---|---|
| January | 7,527 |
| February | 6,438 |
| March | 6,531 |
| April | 11,151 |
| May | 36,333 |
| June | 84,606 |
| July | 113,062 |
| August | 107,872 |
| September | 71,746 |
| October | 44,904 |
| November | 6,798 |
| December | 7,809 |
Source: NPS IRMA Stats, recreation visitors, 2025, pulled Oct 26, 2026.
Alerts right now
3 active NPS alerts when we checked on Oct 26, 2026. Showing the most serious first.
Information Juniper Lake Campground Closed
The Juniper Lake Campground and day use area is currently closed for maintenance and campground improvement projects. Potable water is not available in the campground. The Juniper Lake Road (access to lake and trailheads) is open. Details on nps.gov
Information EV charging station unavailable
The Electric Vehicle charging station is non-functional. There is no timeline for when it may become available. Please plan accordingly. Details on nps.gov
Information Visitor Phone Line Intermittent
You may experience problems reaching park staff via the main visitor phone line which functions intermittently. You may email the park at [email protected] with general park questions. Details on nps.gov
Source: NPS API alerts, checked Oct 26, 2026. Conditions change by the hour; check the park page before you drive.
Hours and access
The park is always open. Road access is limited during the winter season, approximately November through May, due to snow.
Source: NPS API operating hours, checked Oct 26, 2026.
What NPS lists to do here
- Astronomy
- Auto and ATV
- Backcountry Camping
- Backcountry Hiking
- Biking
- Birdwatching
- Boating
- Bookstore and Park Store
- Camping
- Canoeing
- Car or Front Country Camping
- Compass and GPS
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Dining
- Fishing
- Fly Fishing
- Food
- Freshwater Fishing
- Freshwater Swimming
- Front-Country Hiking
- Geocaching
- Gift Shop and Souvenirs
- Group Camping
- Guided Tours
- +23 more
Source: NPS API activity tags, checked Oct 26, 2026.
Got a tour quote for Lassen Volcanic?
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Open the calculator for Lassen VolcanicQuestions
How much does it cost to enter Lassen Volcanic by car?
The NPS lists $10 to $30 per private vehicle for 7 days (checked Oct 26, 2026). The fee covers every passenger in the vehicle.
When is Lassen Volcanic busiest?
July had the most recreation visits in 2025 (22% of the year). February had the fewest, so July drew about 17.6 times as many visits. Source: NPS IRMA Stats.
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TourOrDIY is independent and not affiliated with the National Park Service. Numbers are copied from NPS public data on Oct 26, 2026 and may have changed. See the accuracy disclaimer and our method.