You can get in to more than 100 national parks for free on one day in August
If you were planning one last trip before school starts, now may be the time to check out a national park.
(NEXSTAR) — For one day only in August, you can get into any of our national parks for free.
There are seven such days throughout the year in which free admission is offered to everyone at National Park Service sites that typically charge an entrance fee. This year, those dates include January 9, which was a National Day of Mourning for President Jimmy Carter; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 20; April 19, to commemorate National Park Week; and June 19 for Juneteenth.
Monday, August 4, marks five years since President Donald Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act. Ever since, parks that otherwise charge entrance fees have waived their cover charge. Fees are still required for overnight camping, cabin rentals, transportation, group day use, and use of special areas.
After Monday, the next scheduled free entrance days are September 27, for National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day, on November 11.
Which national parks charge entrance fees?
Of the 475 sites within NPS's purview, 106 require an entrance pass.
In some cases, the fee applies only at certain times. For example, between early June and the end of October, there is no per-person cost to get into Adams National Historical Park. Others may charge only by vehicle rather than per-person fees.
Below are the national parks that would otherwise charge you to get in, but won't be on Monday, according to NPS.
Acadia National Park Death Valley National Park Hovenweep National Monument Rocky Mountain National Park Antietam National Battlefield Denali National Park & Preserve Indiana Dunes National Park Saguaro National Park Arches National Park Devils Tower National Monument Isle Royale National Park Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park Assateague Island National Seashore Dinosaur National Monument Joshua Tree National Park San Juan National Historic Site Bandelier National Monument Dry Tortugas National Park Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Big Bend National Park Everglades National Park Lake Mead National Recreation Area Shenandoah National Park Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Lassen Volcanic National Park Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Bryce Canyon National Park Fort Davis National Historic Site Lava Beds National Monument Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Cabrillo National Monument Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Theodore Roosevelt National Park Canaveral National Seashore Fort Pulaski National Monument Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Thomas Edison National Historical Park Canyonlands National Park Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site Tonto National Monument Cape Cod National Seashore Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Mesa Verde National Park Tumacácori National Historical Park Capitol Reef National Park Glacier National Park Montezuma Castle National Monument Tuzigoot National Monument Capulin Volcano National Monument Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Mount Rainier National Park Valles Caldera National Preserve Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Golden Spike National Historical Park Natural Bridges National Monument Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site Cedar Breaks National Monument Grand Canyon National Park Olympic National Park Vicksburg National Military Park Chaco Culture National Historical Park Grand Teton National Park Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Walnut Canyon National Monument Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Great Falls Park Padre Island National Seashore Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial White Sands National Park Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park Guadalupe Mountains National Park Petrified Forest National Park Wright Brothers National Memorial Christiansted National Historic Site Gulf Islands National Seashore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Wupatki National Monument Colonial National Historical Park Haleakalā National Park Pinnacles National Park Yellowstone National Park Colorado National Monument Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Pipe Spring National Monument Yorktown Battlefield Part of Colonial National Historical Park Crater Lake National Park Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Prince William Forest Park Yosemite National Park Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park Zion National Park Cumberland Island National Seashore Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River
Some of these parks may require reservations, including a parking pass. You'll want to check the requirements for the park you're visiting before heading out.
Why do some national parks charge entrance fees?
While it’s true that your federal income taxes do, in a way, fund the National Park Service, your contributions are relatively small in comparison to the agency’s needs. Entrance fees are used to “enhance visitor experience” under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.
“At least 80 percent of funding from recreation fees stays in the park where it is collected, and the other 20 percent is used to benefit parks that do not collect fees or parks which generate only a small amount of revenue,” the National Park Service explains.
Fees are established based on a structure the agency uses that “simplifies and standardizes entrance fees across parks of similar types.” Rocky Mountain and Zion, for example, are both large and well-visited parks that have park-specific annual passes of $70, a per-vehicle fee of $35, a per-person fee of $20, and a per-motorcycle fee of $30.
Many parks also explain how they use the entrance fee funds. At Death Valley, for example, revenue from entrance fees has been used to design Braille park brochures, repair damages at a beloved feature, and support custodians and emergency medical services.
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