One of the last chances of the year to get free entrance to a national park is coming up on Tuesday.
Oct. 27, which is Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday, is one of the 10 dates in 2026 when U.S. citizens and residents can visit National Park Service sites without paying the usual entrance fee. The 26th U.S. president’s birthday is the second-to-last day of the year when admission fees are waived, followed by Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
Free admission applies to everyone except international visitors, who will still need to pay the regular entrance fee and any applicable nonresident fees. Other fees such as timed-entry reservations, tours, camping, permits and transportation may still apply to all visitors.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), the 26th President of the United States (1901-09) sitting at his desk working. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Roosevelt became the youngest president in the nation’s history at the age of 42, serving from 1901 to 1909, according to the National Archives. Some of his most significant achievements were in conservation.
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“He added enormously to the national forests in the West, reserved lands for public use and fostered great irrigation projects,” the National Archives noted on its website.
10 free admission days offered this year
Roosevelt’s birthday is one of the new free entry days for 2026 added by the National Park Service for U.S. residents. The other additions include all three days of Independence Day weekend (July 3 to 5) and Constitution Day on Sept. 17.
Visitors hike along a trail in Bryce Canyon National Park in Tropic, Utah, on March 9, 2026. (Photo by Michael Yanow/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In addition to these added days, free entry was offered this year on Presidents Day/Washington’s Birthday (Feb. 16), Memorial Day (May 25), Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday (June 14) and the 110th Birthday of the National Park Service (Aug. 25).
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The fee-free dates also only apply to NPS sites that normally charge admission. Most parks are already free to enter.
New policy for international visitors in 2026
The U.S. Department of the Interior implemented new entrance fees for non-U.S. residents on Jan.1, 2026. The NPS said international visitors are still required to pay these fees on free entrance days.
FILE – This Sept. 15, 2015, file photo, shows Zion National Park near Springdale, Utah. A Utah farming family has reached an agreement with land officials allowing permanent access to a portion of private land along a trail bordering Zion National Park. The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, that the Bulloch family owns about a mile stretch of the 16-miles Zion Narrows Trail that starts outside the park, passes through private property and continues to Zion Canyon. The Trust for Public Land orchestrated the $1.5 million deal with the family that shields the land from development and guarantees permanent access to the trail. Officials say the family has allowed hikers to pass through their property but posted for sale signs last year. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Under the policy, nonresidents visiting the 11 most popular national parks must pay an additional $100 fee unless they purchase an annual pass for $250. The annual pass costs $80 for U.S. residents, according to the department.
The NPS announced in March 2026 that it recorded more than 323 million recreation visits in 2025, including over 13 million overnight stays. All entrance fee money remains in the agency, and at least 80% stays in the park where it was collected.
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