Want to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park, witness Old Faithful erupt in Yellowstone, or marvel at the Grand Canyon—without paying an entrance fee?
Free entry days are returning in 2026, but with a major shake-up to the national park fee calendar, according to a newly released schedule from the Department of the Interior (DOI).
New national park fees for 2026
The biggest national park news heading into 2026 is the new fee structure that raises costs for international visitors while keeping prices the same for U.S. residents.
Under the DOI’s new “resident-focused fee structure that puts American families first,” the annual pass price will remain $80 for U.S. residents but increase to $250 for non-residents.
International tourists visiting popular U.S. national parks will also pay an additional $100 per person surcharge on top of the standard entrance fee at the 11 most-visited national parks.
According to the DOI and reported in The New York Times, those parks are: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion
Based on the most recent visitation data from 2024, Great Smoky Mountains, which straddles Tennessee and North Carolina, though, was the No. 1 most visited national park.
Sunrise at Toroweap Lookout on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
(tobiasjo via Getty Images)
Free national park days in 2026
If you like to take advantage of the free days at national parks, there’s also been a major calendar switch up in 2026, prioritizing what the administration ins calling “patriotic fee-free days” and they’re only available to U.S. residents. In the past, the designated free days have been open to all visitors.
Interestingly, some of the fee-free days fall over major travel holidays, including Memorial Day and Fourth of July, which are busy periods for the national parks in general.
In 2026, there will be 10 national park free days, up from eight in 2025. The biggest changes:
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Independence Day weekend (July 3–5, 2026) will be entirely free.
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Flag Day (June 14)—also President Donald Trump’s birthday—is now a fee-free day.
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Many traditional free days, like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, April 19 (the first day of National Parks week), and Juneteenth (June 19), are no longer included.
The only free day that remains from previous years is Veterans Day.
2026 “resident-only patriotic fee-free days”
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President’s Day – February 16, 2026
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Memorial Day – May 25, 2026
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Flag Day / President Trump’s Birthday – June 14, 2026
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Independence Day Weekend – July 3–5, 2026
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110th Birthday of the National Park Service – August 25, 2026
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Constitution Day – September 17, 2026
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Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthday – October 27, 2026
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Veterans Day – November 11, 2026