The National Park Service is offering free admission to U.S. national parks on six days in 2024.
There are more than 400 national parks in the U.S. Most of them offer free entrance all the time.
However, 109 parks don’t — including some of the most popular, like Grand Canyon, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Acadia, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Joshua Tree and Glacier national parks.
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Their entrance fees typically range from $20 to $35 per vehicle. (Some may charge per person instead of per vehicle, and there may also be different fees for motorcycles.)
All parks that generally charge an entrance fee will waive them on the following days next year:
- Jan. 15: Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
- April 20: First day of National Park Week.
- June 19: Juneteenth.
- Aug. 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act.
- Sept. 28: National Public Lands Day
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day
It may make sense to buy an annual pass
Even if you’re planning to visit a park during one of the 2024 free entrance days, it may make financial sense to buy an annual pass ahead of your trip, depending on the itinerary, said Mary Cropper, travel advisor and senior U.S. specialist at Audley Travel.
The $80 annual pass grants unlimited entrance to national parks and other federal recreation areas. (Some groups can get reduced-price or even free annual passes.)
For example, a pass would likely be a better option if you plan to visit multiple parks in one trip — in which case you may end up paying the standard entrance fee for each park (outside of the free day), Cropper said.
“You want to do the math,” she said.