Utah State Parks sells three different things that people lump together as "the pass": a one-day entry, a 12-month annual pass, and a campsite reservation. They do different jobs, they cost different amounts, and none of them substitutes for the others. This page sorts out which is which, using the division's own pass, fee and reservation pages as they read on November 7, 2026, with the five parks Provo-area visitors use most: Utah Lake, Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Wasatch Mountain and Starvation. For the full list of parks and the drive times, see our guide to Utah state parks within two hours of Provo.
Fees change, sometimes between seasons and sometimes mid-year. Treat every number here as a snapshot and confirm it on stateparks.utah.gov or parkspass.utah.gov before you pay.
The short version
| Option | What it is | What the division lists |
|---|---|---|
| Digital day-use pass | One vehicle, one calendar day | Up to eight people; price set by each park |
| Annual day-use pass | 12 months of day-use at state parks | $125 (Utah residents); $65 (residents 65+) |
| Veterans with Disabilities Honor Pass | Free day-use for qualifying Utah veterans | Free; veteran plus up to seven guests |
| Campsite reservation | A specific site on specific nights | $8 reservation fee (individual), plus the nightly rate |
The rest of this guide takes each in turn.
The day-use pass: one vehicle, one day
The basic product is a digital day-use pass. Utah State Parks says it covers a single day of entry for one private vehicle and its occupants, up to eight people, and is valid only on the calendar date you buy it. There is no flat statewide price. Each park sets its own, and the pass page itself does not list amounts, so the number you pay depends on the park and often on the season.
You can buy it two ways. Online at parkspass.utah.gov gives you paperless gate entry. Or you can pay with cash or card at the entrance station or self-pay kiosk when you arrive.
Two limits matter more than the price:
- It does not hold a spot. The division says buying online does not hold a reservation or guarantee entry if a park reaches capacity. On a hot July Saturday, parks near Provo can close the gate. Paying in advance does not get you around that.
- It does not cover camping. The day-use pass has no overnight component and carries no camping discount.
Self-pay is still pay. The Deer Creek page, for one, says park hours "are not reflective of gate staffing" and that self-pay options are available at all entrances. An empty booth does not mean free entry.
What day-use costs at the parks near Provo
These are the fees each park's own fee page listed today. The drive times are our estimates from downtown Provo, taken from the parent guide.
| Park | Drive from Provo | Standard day-use listed |
|---|---|---|
| Utah Lake | about 9 min | $20/vehicle April to October; $10 November to March |
| Deer Creek | about 25 min | $20/vehicle Mar 19 to Oct 20; $15 Oct 21 to Mar 18 |
| Wasatch Mountain | about 42 min | $10 per car (up to 8 people) |
| Jordanelle | about 50 min | $15 or $20 May to October; $10 November to April |
| Starvation | about 1 hr 58 min | $10/vehicle; $15 weekends and holidays, Memorial Day to Labor Day |
A few details behind that table.
Utah Lake. The park lists $20 per vehicle in summer (April through October) and $10 per vehicle for Utah seniors 65 and older. Walk-ins pay $5 per person in summer. From November through March the fee is $10 per vehicle, or $4 per person for walk-ins. More on the lake itself in our Utah Lake State Park guide.
Deer Creek. Summer is March 19 through October 20 at $20 per standard vehicle, up to eight people. Winter is October 21 through March 18 at $15. Utah seniors pay $10 in both seasons. The Deer Creek fee page also lists a 5-day drone permit at $15, which is the kind of add-on the annual pass does not cover.
Jordanelle. Jordanelle splits by area as well as season. In peak season (May through October), Hailstone, Rock Cliff and Ross Creek are $20 per day and Crandall Point is $15, with seniors 65 and older paying $10. In the off-season (November through April) all four are $10, or $5 for seniors. Shuttles and buses are $5 per person in peak season and $3 off-season, and walk-ins and pedestrians pay the same per-person rates. Our Deer Creek and Jordanelle guide covers how the two reservoirs differ.
Wasatch Mountain. The park lists $10 per car, up to eight people, and $5 for seniors 65 and older. The page does not divide the day-use fee by season. The fee page lists the golf, cabin and yurt prices separately, and golf green fees are not part of day-use.
Starvation. The Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation page lists $10 per vehicle (up to eight people), rising to $15 on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The reservoir is just under the two-hour mark by our estimate, so it is the far end of this list.
The annual pass: what $125 buys
The 2026 annual day-use pass is $125, or $65 for seniors age 65 and older. Utah State Parks says it is for Utah residents only. It covers the cardholder and up to seven guests in the same private vehicle, for 12 months from the purchase date, and the division says it works at all 46 Utah state parks. It does not cover national parks or parks outside Utah.
What it does not cover
The division's list of exclusions is specific, and it is where most surprises come from:
- Jordan River OHV State Park
- This is the Place Heritage Park
- The $2 Antelope Island causeway fee
- Camping access and camping discounts
- Special fees, which the page names as OHV rider fees, golf green fees, special program fees and camping fees
- Entry if a park is temporarily closed because it has reached capacity
So the pass replaces the day-use line on your bill, nothing else. If you pay for a cabana, a pavilion, a drone permit or a campsite, those charges stand.
Digital option and plates
You can register the pass in the Utah State Parks app at no extra cost. The division says registration allows two signatures and up to three license plates, and that digital and physical passes are both scanned on entry. If you change vehicles, plates are updated at parkspass.utah.gov/plateupdate. Mailed passes can take up to 7 to 10 business days, with faster shipping available.
Where to buy it
Online at parkspass.utah.gov, or in person during business hours at staffed state park visitor centers, the Eastern and Southwest Regional Offices, or the Utah DNR Bookstore at 1594 W North Temple in Salt Lake City (the page lists Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The division says the pass is not sold at North Region or DWR offices. Annual pass questions go through the ParksPass support form, and the general line, 801-538-7220, is listed for Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Does it pay for itself?
Do the math with the fee your own parks charge. At a $20 park, six visits cost $120 and the seventh visit ($140 total) is where the $125 pass is ahead. At a $10 park, such as Wasatch Mountain, it takes 13 visits. For a Utah senior at a $10 park, the $65 pass is ahead on the seventh visit. If you mostly visit Utah Lake in summer or Deer Creek between March and October, the pass is easy to justify. If you go to Wasatch Mountain a few times a year, it is not. The parent guide has a longer version of this calculation with every park's fee.
Out-of-state visitors cannot buy it and pay each park's day-use fee. And if a park is closed because it is full, the pass does not get you in.
Senior, disabled and veteran options
Utah State Parks lists these on its pass page.
Seniors. The senior annual pass is $65 for ages 65 and up. Many individual parks also list a reduced senior day-use rate: $10 for Utah seniors at Deer Creek and at Jordanelle's peak-season areas, $5 at Wasatch Mountain, and so on. The park fee pages, not the pass page, are where those lower rates appear.
Disabled visitors. The pass page lists no separate general disability pass. The only disability-related option it lists is the Veterans with Disabilities Honor Pass below. If you have a different question, such as accessibility at a specific park, use the park's own page or call the division.
Veterans with disabilities. The Honor Pass is free. Eligibility, as stated: Utah resident, honorably discharged, with a documented service-connected disability. It covers free day-use admission for the veteran and up to seven guests in the same vehicle. It does not cover special charges, which the page names as Jordan River OHV rider fees, golf green fees, program fees and camping fees. To get one, you need a current Summary of Benefits letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The division says new applicants can show VA documentation at the park gate or a participating office for immediate free entry. It also says the system is being upgraded and that 2025 pass holders remain accepted at all state parks until updates are finished, so check the pass page for the current status before you go.
Campsite reservations
Camping is a separate purchase, booked through the division's reservation system on ReserveAmerica (linked from stateparks.utah.gov). Here is what the division's rules page says.
The booking window
Individual campsites are available on a four-month rolling basis. Group sites open 11 months ahead. The page also says you can book a maximum of 13 days beyond the last date of the reservation window. For a reservation less than two days in advance, it says to contact the park directly.
Four months is long enough that the best weekends at lakeside parks go early. If you want a June or July weekend at Deer Creek or Jordanelle, plan on checking in February or March, and look at the actual calendar rather than assuming a date. The page does not publish how fast any park fills, so do not take that as a statement from the division.
What it costs to reserve, change and cancel
| Action | Individual site | Group area |
|---|---|---|
| Reservation fee | $8 | $10.25 |
| Cancel 4+ days ahead (individual) or 14+ days ahead (group) | $8 cancellation fee, plus the reservation fee | $8 cancellation fee, plus the reservation fee |
| Cancel later than that | Forfeit one night's fee, plus the cancellation and reservation fees | Forfeit one night's fee, plus the cancellation and reservation fees |
| Change | $5 per site, at least two days before arrival | Check the rules page or the park |
The rules page says cancellations are accepted online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that changes can be made up to two days before arrival. Jordanelle's fee page repeats the same schedule: $8 per campsite reservation, $10.25 per group reservation, $8 per cancellation and $5 per change.
Check-in, check-out and stay length
The division says check-in at parks runs from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Check-out is generally 2 p.m., or noon at certain parks, including Bear Lake and Goblin Valley. Length of stay is generally limited to 14 days within any 30-day period, and the park manager can allow extensions. Jordanelle's Rock Cliff campground requires a gate code after 10 p.m., which comes with the ReserveAmerica confirmation.
Nightly rates near Provo
These are the nightly rates on each park's fee page today. They are in addition to the reservation fee, and day-use passes do not apply.
| Park | Camping rates listed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Utah Lake | $50 first vehicle (water, 30-amp); $40 extra vehicle | Lakeshore Campground |
| Deer Creek | $50 to $60 Chokecherry; $40 Great Horned Owl; $60 Fox Den | Extra vehicle $30 |
| Jordanelle | $35 to $60 by site type; cabin $150; cottage $200 | Camping closed November to April, cottages open year-round |
| Wasatch Mountain | $25 to $60 by loop; cabins $75 to $90; yurts $75 to $100 | Cabins and yurts price by weekday or weekend |
| Starvation | $40 developed in busy season, $20 winter; primitive $15 to $25 | Cabins $100 peak, $85 off-peak |
Details worth knowing. Deer Creek's Chokecherry and Fox Den sites have full hookups, and Great Horned Owl has none. At Jordanelle, full-hookup RV sites at Rock Cliff are $60, partial hookup is $50, tent sites without hookups at McHenry are $40, and hike-in and boat-in sites are $35. Boat camping at Jordanelle is $40 per night and requires a marine toilet, anchoring at least 40 feet offshore and a white light. Starvation lists boat camping at $20 per night. Wasatch Mountain has 122 developed campsites with modern restrooms and showers, and some sites have hookups. Utah Lake's RV campground has 31 sites with water and power. For campgrounds beyond the state parks, see our camping near Provo guide.
The division does not define "busy season" at Starvation's campgrounds on its fee page, so check the reservation listing for exact dates.
Group areas, pavilions and cabanas
These are rentals, not passes, and they carry their own rules.
- Utah Lake: the Old Ice Rink Pavilion is $100 per day to reserve, plus the $20 per-vehicle entrance fee. The Center Lawn Pavilion is listed at $75 per day but marked closed for construction. The conference room is $200 per day plus a $50 refundable cleaning deposit, booked by calling (801) 375-0731.
- Deer Creek: at the main entrance, the Peterson Pavilion is $150 and reservable May 20 through September 15. At Wallsburg, the West Pavilion is $200 and the Center Pavilion is $250, June through September. The East Pavilion is free and first-come, first-served.
- Jordanelle: a day-use cabana is $50 and includes one vehicle. A beach, cove or sand pavilion is $250 and includes five vehicles. Extra cars pay day-use, and the page says access is not guaranteed. In the off-season, cabanas and pavilions are first-come, first-served, but day-use fees still apply.
- Starvation: beach picnic cabanas are $20 per day and the Mountain View Group-Use Pavilion is $50.
The pattern is that a pavilion reservation covers the structure and sometimes a vehicle or two. It does not replace the entrance fee for everyone else. Whether an annual pass holder in the group counts as covering their own vehicle is a question for the park, since the pass page does not address rentals.
What about boat or OHV registration?
The pass, fee and reservation pages we read do not explain boat or OHV registration, so this guide does not either. The pages do mention a few related charges: Utah Lake lists boat slips at $650 to $950 per season (April 1 through October 31), first-come starting March 1, with an annual pass required. Jordanelle lists seasonal slips at $900 to $1,800 and a $40 transient slip. Starvation lists slips at $20 per night. Deer Creek's fee page lists no boat launch fees and points to its Boating and Rentals page. For boat ramp status, Utah State Parks keeps a boat ramp conditions page, which is worth checking before a launch day. For registration and launch rules, use the division's boating pages rather than guessing.
Who should buy what
- You live near Provo and visit a few times a year: pay day-use at the gate or online each time. The pass will not break even.
- You visit a $20 park seven or more times in a year: the annual pass is ahead. Utah Lake and Deer Creek in summer are the obvious candidates.
- You are a Utah senior: compare the $65 senior pass with the $10 senior day-use rate. Seven visits is the crossover at $10 parks.
- You are a disabled veteran with a Utah residency: look at the free Honor Pass first.
- You plan to camp: buy no pass for the camping part. Reserve the site, and add a pass only if you will also use day-use areas on other days.
- You are visiting from out of state: pay each park's day-use fee. The annual pass is Utah-only.
- You are going with a large group: the eight-person vehicle limit applies to day-use. If you arrive in several cars, each pays unless a rental covers it.
Before you go: a checklist
- Check the park's own fee page for today's rate and season. Several parks change fees on set dates in spring and fall.
- Decide if you need a pass at all. A pass does not reserve a spot or beat a capacity closure.
- If camping, look at the reservation calendar four months out and remember the $8 reservation fee and the cancellation schedule.
- For a group booking, remember that cancellation needs 14 days' notice to avoid forfeiting a night.
- Bring a card for the gate or kiosk. Cash and card are both listed.
- Check conditions. For lakes, look at boat ramp conditions and the park's page for closures, such as Jordanelle's seasonal campground closure from November through April.
- If something looks wrong on a fee page, call the division at 801-538-7220 on a weekday.
For more ideas on where to go once you have sorted out what to pay, see every reservoir near Provo and the parent guide to Utah state parks within two hours of Provo.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Utah State Parks annual pass in 2026?
Does the annual pass cover camping?
Does a day-use pass reserve me a spot at the park?
How far ahead can I reserve a campsite at a Utah state park?
What does it cost to reserve, change or cancel a campsite?
Is there a free or discounted pass for disabled veterans?
What is the day-use fee at Utah Lake and Deer Creek?
Where can I buy the annual pass?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Utah State Parks: Park Passes, Utah State Parks. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Park Rules and FAQ, Utah State Parks. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Deer Creek State Park Fees, Utah State Parks. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Jordanelle State Park Fees, Utah State Parks. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park Fees, Utah State Parks. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation Fees, Utah State Parks. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Wasatch Mountain State Park Fees, Utah State Parks. Checked November 7, 2026.
