Free, Baby, Free!

You know what’s better than visiting the national parks? Visiting the national parks and getting in for free! And every year the National Park Service designates a few days during the coming year when the entrance fee is waived. And you can explore the great outdoors for free!

Photo by Yuval Levy via unsplash.com

Which Days Exactly?

Okay, so for 2024 here’s the list of free days at the national parks. The first one is this coming Monday!

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

What If My Park Is Usually Free?

Not all of the national parks charge an entrance fee. But four out of five in Utah do. The odd one out is Capitol Reef, which is always free to enter. However there is a scenic route in the park which does charge a toll. (Which you should definitely plan on doing!) This toll will be waived on the free days, just like the entrance fees at the other parks. Across the country there are similar situations at other free-to-enter national parks. Visit the official page of the specific park that you are planning to visit for complete details.

One Extra Day This Year!

If you track the number of free days that the National Park Service offers every year, then you will notice that in 2024 we are getting one more free day compared to 2023. Hooray! This year the NPS is celebrating Juneteenth for the first time by waiving the entrance fee. Juneteenth became a national holiday only a couple years ago, so if you want to read a little more about it check out this page. And be sure to celebrate it in style be hanging out in the national parks, for free of course!

Photo by Jakob Køhn via unsplash.com

Make Plans!

Ok! Now that you know when the free days are, it’s time to make some plans to visit the national parks! If you plan on visiting on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, then you should consider some of the winter activities available in the parks. (We’ve written about that here.) And if you’re thinking about checking out any of Utah’s fine national parks, then we’ve got guides for all of them! Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion, and of course Capitol Reef. The parks are beckoning, and adventure awaits in 2024! Especially on days that are free!