Entrance Fees
• $5 per vehicle
• $15 per bus (school bus or larger).
Park Association members must present a current membership card for free car entrance to the park.
Public Program Fees
Bays Mountain Park offers a wide variety of public programs. Tickets for all programs may be purchased at the Gift Shop in the Nature Center and are only available on the day of the program. Tickets may be purchased with cash, check, or credit card.
- Planetarium Theater Shows: $5 per person for ages 6 and older.
Children 5 and under will receive a free pass. - Nature Programs: $3 per person (any age).
- Extended Nature Program (2 hours): $6 per person
- Barge Rides: $5 per person (any age).
- Park Association members will receive free passes to planetarium, nature and barge programs.
- Zip Line: $10 per person (any age). Park Association members receive a 50% discount for the zip line.
Group Rates
Group rates apply to the planetarium and nature programs only. Parties of 15 or more and must be scheduled in advance. Entrance fees for groups are the same as listed above.
Groups may attend one of our regularly scheduled public programs or arrange for a private program. When attending a regularly scheduled public program, we will hold reserved tickets for your group until 20 minutes prior to the program time.
Public Program Group Rates:
- Planetarium Theater Shows: $4 per person including children of all ages.
- Nature Programs: $2 per person.
Private Program Group Rates:
Note, private programs are available only if staff is available and are scheduled in advance.
- Planetarium Theater Shows: $250
- Barge Rides: $150 (Limited to 25 people)
Military Discount
With a valid military ID, we offer free entry for one vehicle per visit, and up to 6 free programs per visit(nature, planetarium, barge ride), subject to ticket availability. Zip line rides are not free, but the military discount is 50% off.
Spring & Fall Hours
March-May & September-October
Park Grounds
Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Nature Center
Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Summer Hours
June – August
Park Grounds
Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m – 8 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Nature Center
Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m – 6 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Zip Line
Wednesday – Sunday: 1, 2, 3 & 4 p.m.
Barge Rides
Daily: 1, 2 & 5 p.m.
Additional Ride at 10:30 a.m.: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
Winter Hours
The Park is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Occasionally, the Park is closed because of hazardous conditions (icy roads, mostly). During snowy weather, please call ahead for Park conditions, (423) 229-9447.
November thru February
Park Grounds
Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Nature Center
Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Modified Program Times
*Please note that due to COVID-19, our program schedule is currently condensed.
Weekdays | November
Barge rides at 1 and 3 p.m.
Nature programs at 4 p.m. (Tuesday – Friday)
Weekends | November
Barge rides at 12 and 2 p.m.
Nature programs at 3 p.m.