How Much Is Parking at Hersheypark? Rates and Preferred Lots

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

A voucher bought in September still works on an operating day in December.

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.

Hersheypark lists free and discounted options for eligible visitors.

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	2026 season	Lots K and L, or Lot N after 2 p.m.
King Size Season Pass	Free	2026 season	Lots K and L, or Lot N after 2 p.m.
Giant Size Season Pass	Free	2026 season	Lots K and L, or Lot N after 2 p.m.
Bite Size Season Pass	50 percent off general parking	With online advance purchase	Hersheypark general parking
Groups of 15 or more passengers	Free	Qualifying vehicles	Counted per vehicle
Official resort guests	Free shuttle	Operating days	Front-gate shuttle service to the resort drop-off location
Accessible parking	Accessible parking areas	Parking-lot access	Follow signs or ask a parking-lot attendant

Why Some Sites List a Higher Preferred Rate

Hersheypark’s add-ons page also lists a parking option starting at $25.00 plus applicable taxes and fees. The supplied listing does not identify the parking type or lot covered by that option.

Hersheypark also publishes free parking for qualifying groups and passholders, while its add-ons page separately lists the $25.00 online parking option.

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: about $12.50 before taxes and fees.

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 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 usual parking charges apply to those spaces. 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

Accessible parking is available. 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. The resort shuttle does not require a general parking voucher.

Road trips under about eight hours are my preference, which is exactly why the preferred lots at Hersheypark strike me as a planning detail rather than a promise. Pass-holder access to Lots K and L is still first-come, first-served, so I would not let eligibility do the mental work of an actual parking space.

How to Buy Hersheypark Parking Before You Go

Buy general parking online from Hersheypark, then present the voucher at the booth on arrival. Bite Size Season Pass Holders have a separate route.

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.
Count vehicles, not people: two cars on the same day need two vouchers, and one car across two days needs two vouchers.
Bite Size holders, log in first: the half-price parking lives in the Season Pass Portal and is refused at the booths.
Carry a card:
Time the arrival: turning up three hours early gains nothing.
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 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 cost half as much. 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 must follow the stated purchase requirement.

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

Parking is free during the Preview Plan, although guests may be asked to pay depending on the time they enter the lot on their Preview Plan night. Keep the parking ticket if you are charged during preview, then show it to the attendant when returning for the full-day visit to avoid paying a second time.

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 card instead.
Bite Size discount refused at the booth: buy through the Season Pass Portal before you arrive.
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 no ticket moves that forward.
Accessible parking needed: ask the attendant on arrival.

For vouchers bought for the current season, confirm the date on anything bought a while ago rather than finding out at the booth.

This guide does not cover parking rates for RVs, trailers, or other oversized vehicles.

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 advertises savings for buying online rather than at the booth. 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.

References

Hersheypark FAQ: How much is parking at Hersheypark?, Hersheypark
Directions and Parking, Hersheypark
Hershey Park Parking Cost Guide and Budget Tips 2026, LatestCost
Amusement Park Add-Ons | Hersheypark, Hersheypark
Spring Guide for 2026 Hersheypark Season Pass Holders, Hersheypark Stories
Frequently Asked Questions, Hersheypark

Sources read in September 2026.