There are over 400 national parks, monuments, battlefields, and memorials across the United States that fall under the banner of the National Park Service (NPS). From Congaree National Park in South Carolina to Arizona’s Coronado National Memorial, California’s Sequioa National Park to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, these public lands are managed in ways that encourage all Americans to get out and experience the reasons why they were protected in the first place.

On December 6th, 2024 the NPS announced six days during the upcoming calendar year in which all entrance fees to these sites will be waived. Those include:

With options in winter, spring, summer, and fall, all of us now have a schedule around which we can plan free entrance to all of our federal publicly managed lands.

Snake River, Yellowstone National Park

As noted in the NPS press release, only about 100 of these managed lands actually have entrance fees on all other days – the rest are free all of the time. They also provide a handy resource to search through all of their managed lands to either find one close to you or to create a trip further down the road to explore.

It’s worth pointing out that this is just for entrance fees. If you’re looking to spend time in the backcountry for lengthy, multi-day trips into Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, Great Smoky Mountains, etc., you’re still going to need to make sure you’ve got the appropriate permits (and those have fees of their own). Still, if you’re willing to brave the crowds, this is an excellent way to save a decent chunk of cash and still get access to some of the most beautiful, important locations within this great country.

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