How Much Is Parking at Hersheypark? Rates and Preferred Lots

AvatarByEric Dawson Parking

General parking at Hersheypark costs $25.00 plus taxes and fees when you buy it online, and that is how much each vehicle pays for a single day of visiting. The voucher is good for one-time use on any operating day through January 3, 2027. Season Pass Holders on the Full, King, and Giant sizes park free at every visit, Bite Size holders get 50 percent off if they buy through the Season Pass Portal, and any vehicle carrying 15 or more passengers parks free. Guests staying at an official Hershey resort skip the lots entirely and ride a free shuttle to the front gate. Prices are as of September 2026.

How Much Hersheypark Parking Costs in 2026

Parking runs $25.00 plus taxes and fees per vehicle, per day, bought online from Hersheypark. That voucher is good for one-time use on any operating day through January 3, 2027, so one bought in September still works on an operating day in December.

Hersheypark lists a single general parking rate rather than separate weekday and weekend prices, and the booths are cashless, taking major debit and credit cards. Each day of a multi-day trip needs its own parking, because the charge is per vehicle for each day of the visit.

What the $25.00 Voucher Covers

One vehicle, one operating day, in the general Hersheypark lots. The voucher does not cover Hershey’s Chocolate World, which has its own lot and its own entrance from Chocolate World Way, and it does not allow a car to stay overnight. Lots open two hours before Hersheypark opens, and no ticket type gets you through the gates earlier than that.

Here is every parking option Hersheypark publishes, with what each one costs as of September 2026.

Parking Type Cost Valid Through Notes
General parking (online) $25.00 plus taxes and fees January 3, 2027 Per vehicle, per day
Full Size Season Pass Free All visits Lots K and L, or Lot N after 2 p.m.
King Size Season Pass Free All visits Lots K and L, or Lot N after 2 p.m.
Giant Size Season Pass Free All visits Lots K and L, or Lot N after 2 p.m.
Bite Size Season Pass 50 percent off, about $12.50 With online purchase Season Pass Portal only
Groups of 15 or more passengers Free All days Counted per vehicle
Official resort guests Free shuttle All stays Exclusive front gate drop-off
Accessible parking Free All days Valid state-issued permit required

Why Some Sites List a Higher Preferred Rate

Third-party price pages sometimes quote a preferred parking tier at $28 to $50, and that tier does not appear anywhere on the official Hersheypark parking pages. LatestCost, a consumer price aggregator, publishes the $28 to $50 range and describes it as closer access to the entrance. Hersheypark’s own FAQ and its Directions and Parking page list general parking at $25.00 and free parking for qualifying groups, with no premium option to buy.

Go with the park on this one. The company sets the rate and collects it at the booth, so its pages are the authoritative record of what exists in 2026. Aggregator pages often carry figures from older seasons or from other Hershey attractions, and nothing on the official site matches the $28 to $50 range.

Who Parks Free at Hersheypark

Full Size, King Size, and Giant Size Season Pass Holders park free at every visit, and so does any vehicle carrying 15 or more passengers. Guests staying at an official Hershey resort avoid the charge a different way, by riding a free front gate shuttle to a drop-off point reserved for resort guests.

Season Pass Parking by Pass Size

Three of the four pass sizes include parking outright. Bite Size is the exception and gets a discount instead.

  • Full Size: free parking every visit, in Season Pass Holder Lots K and L.
  • King Size: free parking every visit, in the same dedicated lots.
  • Giant Size: free parking every visit, in the same dedicated lots.
  • Bite Size: 50 percent off general parking, about $12.50 before taxes and fees, and only when bought in advance through the Season Pass Portal.

Bite Size holders should treat that last line as a hard rule. The discount is not available at the parking booths, so anyone who drives up without buying online first pays the full $25.00 and loses the benefit for that day.

Group and Resort Parking

Vehicles carrying 15 or more passengers park free, which covers a full-size van, a school bus, or a motorcoach. Hersheypark counts this per vehicle, so a party of 20 split across four cars does not qualify; the 15 passengers have to be riding in the same vehicle. Resort guests get a separate benefit again, free front gate shuttle service to an exclusive drop-off location, which means the car can stay at the hotel all day.

Accessible parking sits in its own category. Dedicated accessible areas are set aside for guests with a valid state-issued disability parking permit, and the summary of parking options lists those spaces at no charge. Bring the placard or the plate, because the permit is what qualifies the vehicle rather than the type of admission ticket.

Where the Preferred Lots Are and Who Can Use Them

Lots K and L are the closest parking you can plan on, sitting next to the Hersheypark Stadium West Stand, and they are reserved for Full, King, and Giant Size Season Pass Holders. Everyone else uses the general lots and follows the attendants to whatever row is open.

Lots K and L for Season Pass Holders

Season Pass Holder Lots K and L are the dedicated parking areas for the three pass sizes that include parking. Access runs on a first-come, first-served basis, so the benefit is real but it is not a reservation. Nothing about the pass holds a space, which is why an early arrival still helps on a busy operating day.

Lot N in the Afternoon

Lot N opens to Season Pass Holders after 2 p.m. daily, again on a first-come, first-served basis. That gives a second option for anyone arriving for the back half of the day, and it is worth knowing when the dedicated lots have already filled.

Accessible Parking and the Resort Shuttle

Guests with a valid state-issued disability parking permit use the dedicated accessible areas, and the lot attendants can direct you there on arrival. Resort guests have the simplest arrangement of all, because the front gate shuttle drops them at a location reserved for hotel guests and no lot is involved. Neither option requires a general parking voucher.

I would not plan a visit around paying extra for a closer lot. The practical choice is to treat general parking as the option for most drivers and regard Lots K and L as a pass-holder benefit, not something that can be added at checkout. That avoids building the day around a parking arrangement that may not be available. If I had an eligible pass and wanted the closest planned parking, I would arrive early, since first-come access matters more than the pass alone.

How to Buy Hersheypark Parking Before You Go

Buy general parking online from Hersheypark at $25.00 plus taxes and fees, then present the voucher at the booth on arrival. Bite Size Season Pass Holders use the Season Pass Portal instead, since the 50 percent discount only exists there.

  1. Pick the day: the online voucher is one-time use on any operating day through January 3, 2027, so it does not lock you to a single date.
  2. Count vehicles, not people: two cars on the same day need two vouchers, and one car across two days needs two vouchers.
  3. Bite Size holders, log in first: the half-price parking lives in the Season Pass Portal and is refused at the booths.
  4. Carry a card: parking booths are cashless and accept major debit and credit cards.
  5. Time the arrival: lots open two hours before Hersheypark opens, so turning up three hours early gains nothing.
  6. Follow the right road in: coming from Hersheypark Drive, stay right on Park Boulevard toward the parking toll booths and lots.

A Worked Example for a Two Day Visit

Take a family of four in one car, visiting on two operating days during the same trip. General parking is $25.00 plus taxes and fees each day, so the parking line of the budget comes to $50.00 before taxes and fees. With a Bite Size pass and both days bought in the Season Pass Portal at 50 percent off, those same two days land near $25.00, a saving of roughly $25.00. Hold a Full, King, or Giant Size pass and both days cost nothing, parked in Lots K and L.

Adding a second car changes the arithmetic fast. Two vehicles across two days means four vouchers and $100.00 before taxes and fees, which is the point where consolidating a big group into one 15-passenger vehicle, and parking free, turns into real money.

What Parking Costs Across a Whole Season

Parking scales straight off the $25.00 day rate, so a family that visits five times in one season spends $125.00 before taxes and fees on parking alone. The table below runs the same visit counts against the three ways of paying.

Visits in One Season General Parking Bite Size Pass Full, King or Giant Size Pass
1 $25.00 $12.50 $0.00
2 $50.00 $25.00 $0.00
3 $75.00 $37.50 $0.00
5 $125.00 $62.50 $0.00

All of those figures sit before taxes and fees, and they assume one vehicle each time. Repeat visitors should weigh that column against the price of the pass itself, because free parking on every visit is part of what the Full, King, and Giant Size passes buy. Bite Size holders only see the discount if every one of those purchases goes through the portal in advance.

Parking Rules That Catch People Out

Three rules cause most of the trouble: Hersheypark parking is not valid at Hershey’s Chocolate World, overnight parking is not permitted, and the lots do not open until two hours before the park does. Each one is easy to plan around once you know it.

Hersheypark Parking Is Not Valid at Chocolate World

Chocolate World runs its own lot, reached from Chocolate World Way, and a Hersheypark parking voucher is not accepted there. Drivers heading for Chocolate World who go through the Hersheypark toll booths by mistake still have to pay the Hersheypark rate. A refund is possible only if you exit immediately by way of Hockersville Road, so the moment to catch the error is at the booth rather than in the lot.

Preview Hours and the Parking Charge

Guests arriving for preview hours do not pay for parking, because the charge attaches to the full-day visit that follows. Hersheypark’s Frequently Asked Questions hub adds a useful safeguard for anyone who is charged during preview anyway: keep the ticket, and it prevents a second parking charge on the return day. That detail is easy to miss, and it is the difference between paying $25.00 once and paying it twice.

Lot Hours and Overnight Rules

Lots open two hours before Hersheypark opens, and no vehicle may stay overnight. Plan around the first rule if you want to eat near the gate before opening, and plan around the second if you were thinking of leaving an RV or a camper in place after close. Neither the general parking rate nor a season pass changes either one.

What to Do if Your Parking Does Not Work Out

Most parking problems at Hersheypark have a fix at the booth or in the Season Pass Portal, and the expensive ones come from paying at the wrong entrance. Work through the list below in order.

  • Paid at Hersheypark but meant Chocolate World: leave immediately by way of Hockersville Road, which is the only route to a refund. Drive on into the lots and the payment stands.
  • The booth will not take cash: that is expected, because the booths are cashless. Use a major debit or credit card instead.
  • Bite Size discount refused at the booth: buy through the Season Pass Portal before you arrive, since the 50 percent rate is an online-only benefit.
  • Lots K and L are full: Season Pass Holders can move to Lot N after 2 p.m., first-come, first-served.
  • You arrive before the lots open: wait it out, because the lots open two hours before Hersheypark opens and no ticket moves that forward.
  • Accessible parking needed: bring the state-issued permit and ask the attendant for the dedicated accessible area on arrival.

One more item is worth checking before the drive. Vouchers bought for the current season are valid for one-time use on any operating day through January 3, 2027, so confirm the date on anything bought a while ago rather than finding out at the booth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Pay for Parking at the Booth Instead of Online?

Yes. The parking booths accept major debit and credit cards and take no cash, so a card is the only way to pay on arrival. Hersheypark publishes $25.00 plus taxes and fees as the online price and does not list a separate booth price, so budget the same figure either way. What you cannot do at the booth is claim the Bite Size season pass discount.

Is Hersheypark Parking Free with a Season Pass?

It is free for Full Size, King Size, and Giant Size passes, at every visit, in Season Pass Holder Lots K and L. Bite Size passes get 50 percent off instead, and only when the parking is bought through the Season Pass Portal ahead of time. Any Season Pass Holder can also use Lot N after 2 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.

Does Hersheypark Parking Work at Hershey’s Chocolate World?

No. Chocolate World has a separate lot with its own entrance from Chocolate World Way, and a Hersheypark voucher is not valid there. Drivers who pay at a Hersheypark toll booth and then realize the mistake can get a refund only by exiting immediately by way of Hockersville Road.

How Early Can I Get into the Hersheypark Parking Lots?

Two hours before Hersheypark opens. Check the operating calendar for the day of your visit and count back two hours to get the practical arrival time. Turning up earlier than that does not get you through the gates any sooner.

Is There a Preferred Parking Upgrade at Hersheypark?

Not on the official Hersheypark pages as of September 2026. Price guides such as LatestCost list a preferred tier at $28 to $50, while the park’s own FAQ and its Directions and Parking page show general parking at $25.00 and free parking for qualifying groups, with nothing to upgrade to. Treat the park as the authority here, since it sets and collects the price at the booth.

Budget $25.00 plus taxes and fees per car, per day, and buy it online before you leave home. Season Pass Holders on Full, King, or Giant Size skip that step and head for Lots K and L, while Bite Size holders should open the Season Pass Portal first, because half-price parking does not exist at the booth. Keep the Chocolate World lot clear in your head on the drive in, and the parking part of a Hershey trip stops being complicated.

What This Page Does Not Publish

  • I do not cover parking rates for RVs, trailers, or other oversized vehicles.
  • I do not include valet parking or other attendant services.
  • I do not list a purchasable preferred tier beyond the passholder lots described above.

References

Author Profile

Eric Dawson
Eric Dawson
I'm Eric Dawson, the writer behind The Money Watch. I live in the Columbus, Ohio area and I write about the ordinary questions that turn out to be complicated: computers, shopping, food, travel, parking, small businesses, fees, rules and products. Every article starts with the official page, the maker or the agency, then the sources that check it, and I say plainly where they disagree and what I would do. More about how I work is on the About page.