Free Admission to National Parks

If you’ve longed to visit America’s most awe-inspiring parks but have not longed to pay the entrance fees some require, 2016 may be your year to travel the country. On 16 select days in 2016, national parks in the United States will celebrate their 100th birthday by offering free entrance.

Of the 409 parks part of the National Park Service, 127 charge an admission fee that ranges from $3 to $30. These normally not-free parks include Yosemite National Park in California, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Everglades National Park in Florida, and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Idaho.

Most of the free-entry days will take place on national public holidays, such as Veterans Day in November and during National Park Week from April 16 to April 24. The National Park Service’s official birthday occurs during the week of August 25, during which entrance will be free to parks until August 28. Other attendees may be eligible for free entry or discounts including fourth-grade students who take part in the Every Kid in a Park program, as well as veterans.

Other services such as camping fees, tours, concessions and reservations will not be covered under the free admission promotion. For the full list of free-entry parks, visit the website of the National Park Service.