When are the Free National Park Days? There are five days during the year that the National Park Service waives entrance fees. These are great days to check out a park that normally charges an entrance fee.
It is worth noting that only 110 of the 424 National Park Service sites charge a fee! If you have an NPS site near you it is worth checking to see if they charge an entrance fee!
2023 Free National Park Day
Mark your calendar for these entrance fee-free dates in 2023! The free entry day is a great opportunity to visit one of the beautiful National Parks in the United States.
Why not visit a new place, explore America's best idea and visit one of the amazing National Park Sites listed below.
As a frequent visitor of parks we love sharing these amazing places with you!
The free entrance days for 2023 are:
- January 16: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- April 22: First day of National Park Week
- August 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- September 23: National Public Lands Day
- November 11: Veterans Day
The entrance fee waiver for entrance fee-free days does not cover amenities or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.
If you want to visit a National Park outside of the Free National Park Days we highly suggest buying a National Park Annual Pass. These Federal Recreational Lands Pass get you into any of the 424 National Park Service Sites along with working at over 2,000 recreation sites that charge a daily park admission fee.
The park pass covers everyone in the car for per vehicle sites and for up to 4 adults for per-person sites.
Buy on REI.com and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.
There are 309 NPS sites that do not charge an entrance fee. They are open to all visitors for free.
These 110 National Park Service sites normally charge an entrance fee which is waived during Free National Park Days.
Mountains in Denali National Park, Alaska
Below is a current list of U.S. National Parks and historic sites that will be offering free admission during specific days of the year.
There are many parks in the National Park system that are free year-round.
Alaska
Arizona
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Montezuma Castle National Monument
- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Pipe Spring National Monument
- Saguaro National Park
- Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
- Tonto National Monument
- Tumacácori National Historical Park
- Tuzigoot National Monument
- Walnut Canyon National Monument
- Wupatki National Monument
Arkansas
Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, California
California
- Cabrillo National Monument
- Death Valley National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Kings Canyon National Park
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Lava Beds National Monument
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Pinnacles National Park
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
- Sequoia National Park
- Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
- Yosemite National Park
Colorado
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
- Colorado National Monument
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
- Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
- Hovenweep National Monument
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park
Alligator, Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park, Florida
Florida
- Canaveral National Seashore
- Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
- Dry Tortugas National Park
- Everglades National Park
- Gulf Islands National Seashore
Georgia
- Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
- Cumberland Island National Seashore
- Fort Pulaski National Monument
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Lua Manu, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
Hawai'i
- Haleakalā National Park
- Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
- Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Idaho
Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine
Maine
Maryland
- Antietam National Battlefield
- Assateague Island National Seashore
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
- Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
- Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Massachusetts
- Adams National Historical Park
- Cape Cod National Seashore
Sleeping Bear Dunes Beach, Michigan
Michigan
Sunset at Gulf Islands National Seashore
Mississippi
Missouri
Mountain Goat, Going to the Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana
Montana
Nevada
- Death Valley National Park
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Abraham Lincoln Statue, Saint Gaudens National Historical Park, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Jersey
- Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Pueblo Bonita, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
New Mexico
- Bandelier National Monument
- Capulin Volcano National Monument
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park
- Valles Caldera National Preserve
- White Sands National Park
New York
- Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
- Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
- Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Wright Brothers Memorial, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
- Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial
Oklahoma
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Oregon
Puerto Rico
- San Juan National Historic Site
South Carolina
Scenic Drive at Badlands National Park, South Dakota
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
- Big Bend National Park
- Fort Davis National Historic Site
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Padre Island National Seashore
Bryce Canyon Amphitheater of Hoodoos, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Utah
- Arches National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Cedar Breaks National Monument
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Golden Spike National Historical Park
- Hovenweep National Monument
- Natural Bridges National Monument
- Zion National Park
Virgin Islands
- Christiansted National Historic Site
Virginia
- Assateague Island National Seashore
- Colonial National Historical Park
- George Washington Memorial Parkway's Great Falls Park
- Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
- Prince William Forest Park
- Shenandoah National Park
Black Bear in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Washington
- Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
- Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
- Mount Rainier National Park
- Olympic National Park
West Virginia
- Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Wyoming
We hope this list helps you make the most of the Free National Park Days. Don't miss our printable checklist of National Parks so you can document all the parks you have visited.
We have a full listing of every NPS Site available so you can plan an amazing visit to our US National Parks.
If you are looking at visiting multiple parks during the year check out this blog post about the America The Beautiful - National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Pass so you can plan your trip.
There are specific park passes for Gold Star Families, fourth graders, military veterans, senior citizens, current members of the military, and more.
Planning a National Park vacation? America the Beautiful/National Park Pass covers entrance fees for an entire year to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites.
The park pass covers everyone in the car for per vehicle sites and for up to 4 adults for per-person sites.
Buy on REI.com and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.
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