Grab a 2023 calendar! It’s time to start marking all the national park free days so you’re more likely to book travel to indulge in the wild beauty of our parks. These truly are treasures, set aside for us and wildlife by forward thinking people starting in 1872. (Quick trivia: what was our first national park here in the US? Answer’s at the end.)
The great news is that about three-quarters of our 400 national parks do not charge admission to enter. But for those that do, there are five free days annually, reports Frommers. These free days in 2023 all fall within a weekend or on a national holiday, increasing the benefit since most people will want to spend the night if possible and book a second day—or more. It’s key to remember that these aren’t just wooded expanses; the National Park Service includes seashores, historical sites, monuments—even big tourist destinations like the Statue of Liberty, Niagara Falls and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Interestingly, none of the free days fall within the heat of summer, probably intentionally ensuring that less popular months get visitors. Each of the days is meaningful rather than being selected randomly:
Jan. 16 (Monday): Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
April 22 (Saturday): First day of National Park Week
Aug. 4 (Friday): Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
Sept. 23 (Saturday): National Public Lands Day
Nov. 11 (Saturday): Veterans Day
The National Park Service cautions that although entrance to the parks is free on those days, you will still have to pay for camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.
If you want to make your free day permanent, you can buy an annual pass for just $80 (and seniors, active military, disabled citizens, federal lands volunteers, and fourth graders and their families can get a free or discounted pass).
Finally, if you’re wondering where your admission dollars go, the NPS states that all entrance fee monies stay within the park service, with at least 80 percent staying in the park where the fees were collected. Those funds are used to repair and maintain roads, restore wildlife habitats (such as fencing to keep visitors from dust-ups with elk and pronghorn in Montana), pay law enforcement and staff at entrance stations and campgrounds, and fund emergency medical services (when the elk and pronghorn win).
(Trivia answer: It was Yellowstone, signed into national parkhood by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872.)
Is winter a good time to visit Yosemite? Hell to the yes!
What's Yellowstone doing better this year? Acknowledging the 27 tribal nations who lived on its land for 11,000 years pre-theft.