The next free National Parks admission day will here before you know it. I'm very happy to see these no-fee days returning for another year. These annual freebie events go great with our free state highway maps list!
So get out there, breathe in some fresh air, and report back to me how relaxing and peaceful it is. Just don't take your family! I went with mine last year and long story short, they left me behind. Unfortunately for them, I'm like one of those cool dogs from a Reader's Digest story and I walked all the way home in just under a week.
2026 Free National Park Admission Dates
- February 16: Presidents Day
- May 29: Flag Day
- July 3-5: Independence Day weekend
- August 25: 110th birthday of the National Park Service
- September 17: Constitution Day
- October 27: Theodore Roosevelt's birthday
- November 11: Veterans Day
Of course the Narcissist In Chief made things a little worse this time around. 🙄 Here are the stupid changes made at his behest:
- Removed free admission on MLK Jr's birthday in January
- Removed free admission on Juneteenth in June
- Free entrance days will only apply to US citizens and residents. Nonresidents must pay entrance and any nonresident fees unless they have the Non-Resident Annual Pass.
- At the following national parks, nonresidents age 16 and older must pay a $100 nonresident fee in addition to the regular entrance fee, unless they have the Nonresident Annual Pass: Acadia National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Zion National Park.
I've written about these free National Park Admission days since they debuted in 2009 and the numbers are finally in. Hiffers love them! Maybe you could even end up like Mikah Meyer and visit all 419 National Park Service sites! It only took him 3 years. 😂
If you can't make it out to your local National Park, you can do the next best thing and read up on some parks! Sure, it's not the same as actually visiting, but it has significantly fewer mosquitoes and poison ivy patches.
