Experience our National Parks! On five days in 2024, all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. National parks are America’s Best Idea, and there are more than 400 parks available to everyone, every day. The fee-free days provide a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite, especially one of the national parks that normally charge an entrance fee. The others are free all of the time. Plan your visit and enjoy our country’s history and nature.

For a list of National Parks, click here. Before visiting a park, please check the park website to determine its operating status.

The entrance fee-free days for 2024 are:

• January 15 – Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• April 20 – First Day of National Park Week
• June 19 – Juneteenth
• August 4 – Great American Outdoors Act
• September 28 – National Public Lands Day
• November 11 – Veterans Day

The 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. Fee-free days make parks accessible to more people. However, national parks are always economical, with entrance fees that range from $3 to $30. In addition, any fourth grade student can get a free annual pass through the Every Kid in a Park program, and active duty military and citizens with a permanent disability can also get free passes. For more information about the variety of discounted passes available, please visit the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass page.  

National Parks in Virginia Worth Seeing:

• Assateague Island National Seashore
• Colonial National Historical Park – at Historic Jamestowne, the NPS portion of admission will be waived. General admission for adults (16+) that day will be $15 (usually $30).
• George Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls Park
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
• Prince William Forest Park
• Shenandoah National Park