A few times a year, the U.S. Department of the Interior makes it free for everyone to enter the National Parks. The next of the upcoming National Park free days happens to fall on Veterans Day on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. You’ll be able to enter any of the U.S. National Parks without fees that day.
While not all National Parks charge admission, more than 100 parks do have entrance fees, typically between $5 and $35 per vehicle. So if you’ve been hoping to visit a popular National Park this fall, one of these free days is an ideal time to do it.
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Mark your calendars for the various National Park free days in 2023.
Check your schedule to see when you might visit one of the 400+ National Parks during one of the half-dozen free admission days throughout the year. In 2023, these are the days the National Parks Service isn’t charging any entrance fees:
- Jan. 16: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- April 22: First day of National Park Week
- Aug. 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- Sept. 23: National Public Lands Day
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day
Before you head out, make sure your favorite park is open.
The free admission only applies to the parks that are open, of course. Factors like weather and construction can alter a park’s status; for example, one of the most popular parks, Yellowstone, closed in June 2022 after severe flooding.
The National Parks Service’s closure list is changing all the time, so check it before you plan your trip. And for a list of all the parks that participate in these free-entrance days, see our list below.
Get to know all the other park discounts and freebies.
Fourth graders get free admission during the summer (and their families, too). Active-duty, retired, and reserve military members are always free at the parks. Learn about these and more National Parks discount tips.
For last-minute trips, you’ll want to camp inside the park.
Most parks that allow camping have both reservable and first-come, first-served sites. Nightly fees range from $15-$50 depending on your site and whether you need an RV hookup.
If you’re so last minute that you can’t get a reservable spot, there are always a limited amount of first-come, first-served spots. Check the individual parks’ websites to make sure campsites are still open.
Here’s a list of all of the participating free-entrance parks.
We’ve gathered a list of all the parks that charge no fees on these National Park free days. They’re arranged by state so you can plan your trip.
Alaska
- Denali National Park & Preserve
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
- Fort Smith National Historic Site
California
- Cabrillo National Monument
- Death Valley National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Lava Beds National Monument
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Pinnacles National Park
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
- Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
- Yosemite National Park
Colorado
- Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
- 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
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
Hawai’i
- Haleakalā National Park
- Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
- Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Idaho
- Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve
- Yellowstone National Park
Indiana
- Indiana Dunes National Park
Maine
- Acadia National Park
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
Michigan
- Isle Royale National Park
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Minnesota
- Pipestone National Monument
Mississippi
- Gulf Islands National Seashore
- Vicksburg National Military Park
Missouri
- Gateway Arch National Park (formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial)
Montana
- Glacier National Park
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
- Yellowstone National Park
Nevada
- Death Valley National Park
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
New Hampshire
- Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
New Jersey
- Thomas Edison National Historical Park
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
North Carolina
- Wright Brothers National Memorial
North Dakota
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Ohio
- Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial
Oklahoma
- Fort Smith National Historic Site
Oregon
- Crater Lake National Park
- Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
Puerto Rico
- San Juan National Historic Site
South Carolina
- Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
South Dakota
- Badlands National Park
Tennessee
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Texas
- Big Bend National Park
- Fort Davis National Historic Site
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Padre Island National Seashore
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
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
Wyoming
- Devils Tower National Monument
- Grand Teton National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
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