Road Trip! National Parks Trip - 2016 National Parks Free Admission Days

Looking for a a great hiking trip or a just a national parks trip for your family? How about some help keeping a low budget for your trip? How does free admission to a national park sound? Hint…the first one is January 18! Start making plans to take advantage of this amazing program when Uncle Sam throws open the gates to so many of our nation treasures and invites you to take advantage of the national parks free admission days.

Plan to enjoy National Parks free admission days! Mark your calendar for these entrance fee–free dates in 2016:

January 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
April 16 through 24: National Park Week
August 25 through 28: National Park Service Birthday
September 24: National Public Lands Day
November 11: Veterans Day

Only 127 of our country’s 409 national parks usually charge an entrance fee. See the list of parks participating in free days here. So start Planning Your Visit to Carlsbad Caverns, Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Padre Island, Cape Cod, even the Grand Canyon!

If you’re planning a trip that includes multiple national parks, you might consider the $80 annual pass that provides entrance to all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and many other Federal lands-more than 2,000 in all. The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass is offered free to all active duty military members and their dependents to lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service. The Program also offers a free lifetime pass for people with disabilities, a $10 lifetime senior pass for those age 62 and over. Information on these and other pass options is available online.

And, in fact, many parks do not charge any entrance fees year-round. So, there are many ways to plan a fantastic national park excursion without breaking the bank.

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.