What Makes Any National Park Better? Getting in for Free!

We love all our great national parks. And we love them even more when they’re free to enter! Every December the National Park Service sets a few days aside during the coming year when all entrance fees will be waived. And we get to explore the parks for free! It’s the perfect way to celebrate the ending of one year and the beginning of another.

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Which Days Exactly?

Okay, so for 2025, these are the free days at every national park and national monument in the country. It’s the same holidays as 2024, so no surprises there, but with some date changes. Here’s the list:

January 20, 2025: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
April 19, 2025: First day of National Park Week
June 19, 2025: Juneteenth
August 4, 2025: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
September 27, 2025: National Public Lands Day
November 11, 2025: 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.

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We’re Still Getting Juneteenth

Just like 2024, the NPS is adding Juneteenth to its roster of free days. Juneteenth became a national holiday only a couple years ago, so in case you hadn’t heard, it commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday’s name is a portmanteau of the words “June” and “nineteenth”, as it was on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War. (Thanks to Wikipedia for that snippet.)

Plan On It!

While most entrance fees aren’t going to break the bank on your road trip vacations, it’s still a good chance to save a few bucks. So start making those vacation plans now! We hope to see you all in the new year! Happy 2025!