It’s no secret that the National Parks offer the best outdoor experiences in the country. Less-known, though, is the fact that the National Park Service actually hosts a handful of free national park days throughout the year. That means you can get into over 2,000 federal recreation sites and 62 national parks from Maine to Hawaii (and as far away as Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) completely free of charge, just by planning your trip around these key dates.
Free national park days in 2021:
- January 18: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- April 17: The first day of National Park Week
- August 4:One year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- August 25: The National Park Service Birthday; the system was established on this day, in 1914.
- September 25: National Public Lands Day
- November 11: Veterans Day
Save even more by visiting the most-expensive parks:
While admission fees vary from park to park, and can be as low as $3 per person, some of the country’s most-popular national parks charge the highest admission fees in the system, at $20 per person and $35 per non-commercial vehicle to enter. Plan to go on a free day, however, and you’ll pay nothing at all at the gates to visit the country’s nine most-expensive national parks, including:
- Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
- Glacier National Park, Montana
- Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
- Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California
- Yellowstone National Park, Montana
- Yosemite National Park, California
- Zion National Park, Utah
Wherever you go, be sure to check individual park websites for the most up-to-date park opening information and COVID-19 mandates, as park, trail, and campground access can change from day to day. Waived entrance fees don’t include any additional costs you may incur within the park for food, gas, camping, and more.
If you plan to visit U.S. national parks more than twice this year, you’ll save with an annual pass. It unlocks access to every national park, memorial, recreation site, and seashore for just $80. Get your pass now.
