Fees and rules checked on SBA, IRS, NPS, Forest Service, BLM and state pages on October 11, 2026. Permit fees change and many are set park by park or forest by forest, so confirm with the office that issues yours.
1. Choose a Business Structure
The SBA puts the difference plainly. With a sole proprietorship, "you can be held personally liable for the debts and obligations of the business." An LLC protects you "from personal liability in most instances." For a business that takes strangers into the backcountry, that protection matters. Many guides form a single-member LLC in their home state. Talk to an accountant about taxes, since the structure changes how you file.
2. Get an EIN (It's Free)
Apply directly with the IRS online. The IRS says you can get one "in minutes for free" and that "you never have to pay a fee for an EIN." Ignore sites that charge for it. You'll need the EIN for your bank account, your permit applications and most booking and payment platforms.
3. Get Permission to Guide Where You Guide
If your trips run on federal land, you need written authorization from the agency that manages it. This is the step most new outfitters underestimate.
| Land | Permit | What it costs | Insurance asked for |
|---|---|---|---|
| National parks | Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) | $350 application fee, nonrefundable ($250 for later applications to the same park that season). Where a park uses the market price method, a fee of 3% of gross receipts under $250,000, rising to 4% and 5% above that. | At least $500,000 per occurrence for most holders. Parks may require more. |
| National forests | Outfitter-guide special use permit (temporary or priority) | Varies by forest. On the Stanislaus, temporary permits are a flat $150 for 1 to 50 service days, with 3% of gross above the revenue cap. On the Sawtooth, priority permits pay 3% of gross revenue. | Set by forest. Inyo, for example, lists $300,000 for nature hikes and backpacking. |
| BLM land | Special Recreation Permit | $130 minimum annual fee, or the greater of $7 per person per day, or 3% of adjusted gross receipts | Risk-based. Low-risk activities may not need it. |
A few rules worth knowing before you apply:
- National parks: you need a CUA for any paid service you provide to visitors at least partly on park land. Parks can ask for more. Rocky Mountain, for example, asks $500,000 per occurrence for hiking but $1,000,000 for climbing and guided mountaineering, with the National Park Service named as additional insured.
- National forests: temporary permits come in blocks of service days and are a good way to start. Priority permits can run up to 10 years, but for new uses the Sawtooth says it may issue one for two years first.
- BLM: the agency says "do not advertise, collect fees, or begin operations until you have received written authorization." Build that wait into your launch date.
For guide licenses by state and the certifications that go with them, see tour guide license and certification.
4. Buy Commercial Liability Insurance
Your permit will usually set the floor. The NPS asks most CUA holders for at least $500,000 per occurrence, and national forests set their own amounts by activity (Inyo asks more for Class IV and V rivers than for hiking). Get quotes from brokers who insure outfitters, ask for a certificate that names the agency as additional insured, and add commercial auto cover if you drive guests. Travel platforms will ask for the same certificate.
5. Get the First Aid Training Your Permit Requires
There's no single national rule. The NPS says training certifications "may be required for certain CUAs," and each park sets its own. Grand Teton requires every guide to hold standard first aid and CPR and carry a first aid kit. Denali requires every guide on a guided mountaineering trip to hold a current Wilderness First Responder and CPR card. If you lead multi-day trips, plan on a Wilderness First Responder course. Many employers and insurers prefer it even where a permit doesn't ask.
6. Register for Sales Tax Where It Applies
Whether you collect sales tax on a guided trip depends on the state and sometimes on the trip. Washington, for example, requires guided hunting and fishing providers to "collect and remit sales tax," based on where the trip begins. Check your state revenue department before your first booking, because adding tax later means raising prices you've already published.
7. Set Your Prices
Price per person, with a minimum group size, and make the math work at the minimum. Add up fixed trip costs (guide wages, permits and fees, vehicles, group gear, your share of insurance), divide by your minimum number of guests, add per-guest costs like food and camp fees, then add channel fees and your margin. Don't forget the permit fee itself: 3% of gross on many federal permits is a real line in your costs. We walk through a full example in how to market multi-day guided trips.
Need guests before you have a following? ExplorOFF is free to join, with no exclusivity, and takes 15% plus card processing only on a booking we bring you. List your trip.
8. Set Up Booking and Payments
You need a calendar, a checkout that takes deposits, and waivers. Small operators can start cheaply. Bookeo starts at $14.95 a month with no booking commission, and Bókun at $49 a month plus 1.5%. We compared the main systems and their real costs in FareHarbor alternatives for small businesses and FareHarbor pricing vs competitors.
9. Find Your First Guests
Booking software takes bookings. It doesn't create them. Your first season usually comes from a mix of channels:
- Your own website, with a full page for every trip.
- A Google Business Profile, free, with a service area instead of a home address.
- Marketplaces, such as GetYourGuide, Viator and ExplorOFF, which bring travelers who don't know your name yet.
- Reviews, asked for after every trip.
- Local partners like gear shops and lodges in the gateway town.
For the full playbook, see marketing for tour operators.
A Startup Checklist
- Form your LLC or other structure in your state.
- Get your free EIN from the IRS.
- Open a business bank account.
- Apply for your CUA, Forest Service or BLM permit.
- Buy liability insurance that meets the permit (and names the agency if asked).
- Get first aid, CPR or WFR certified.
- Register for state sales tax if your state taxes guided trips.
- Price your trips per person with a minimum group size.
- Set up booking, deposits and waivers.
- Publish trip pages and list on at least two sales channels.
Sell Your Trips on ExplorOFF
ExplorOFF is a marketplace built for multi-day outdoor trips: hiking, backpacking, paddling and fishing in US and Canadian national parks and wild places. Travelers find your trip inside a day-by-day itinerary for the route they're already planning, so they arrive ready to book. It's free to join, there's no exclusivity, and you keep your own site and booking system. You set the price and group size. We take 15% plus standard card processing, and only on a booking we brought you. A person checks your commercial liability insurance and land-use authorization (such as an NPS CUA) once, and approval takes up to 24 hours. List your trip on ExplorOFF.
How to Start a Tour Company: Permits, Insurance and First Guests (2026) FAQs
Choose a business structure (often an LLC), get a free EIN from the IRS, get the land-use permit for where you guide, buy commercial liability insurance, get the first aid training your permit requires, register for sales tax if needed, then set up booking and your first sales channels.
Yes. The NPS requires a Commercial Use Authorization for paid services to visitors at least partly on park land. The application fee is $350, and most holders need at least $500,000 per occurrence in liability insurance.
The government fees are modest: the EIN is free, an NPS CUA application is $350, a temporary Forest Service permit can be $150 for up to 50 service days on some forests, and a BLM permit has a $130 annual minimum. Insurance, first aid training, gear and booking software are the larger costs.
Most guides choose an LLC. The SBA says a sole proprietor can be held personally liable for business debts, while LLCs protect owners from personal liability in most instances.
Commercial general liability, at the level your permit sets. The NPS asks most CUA holders for at least $500,000 per occurrence, and national forests set amounts by activity. Add commercial auto cover if you drive guests.
It depends on the permit. Grand Teton requires first aid and CPR for every guide, and Denali requires a Wilderness First Responder for every guided mountaineering guide. Plan on a WFR for multi-day trips.
A trip page on your own site, a free Google Business Profile, reviews after every trip, local partners, and marketplaces such as ExplorOFF, GetYourGuide and Viator that bring travelers who don't know your name yet.
