2024 free days in national parks

Entry prices at national parks have risen, but so have opportunities for Americans to gain free admission.

In 2020, veterans gained permanent free admission to the national parks. Fourth grade students and their families get free admission as part of the “Every Kid Outdoors” program. (Details below.)

In 2024, there are six free days at national parks (listed below.) In 2024, Juneteenth was added a free day.

2024 free days in national parks


Date	Event	Agency Participating
Jan. 15, 2024	Martin Luther King Jr. Day	National Park Service Fish & Wildlife Service Bureau of Land Management U.S. Forest Service
April 20, 2024	First day of National Park Week	National Park Service
June 19, 2024	Juneteenth	National Park Service Fish & Wildlife Service Bureau of Land Management U.S. Forest Service
Aug. 4, 2024	Great American Outdoors Act day	National Park Service
Sept. 28, 2024	National Public Lands Day	National Park Service Fish & Wildlife Service Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Reclamation US Forest Service
Nov. 11, 2024	Veterans Day	National Park Service Fish & Wildlife Service Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Reclamation US Forest Service

Free days in national parks are offered here:

How veterans can get free admission to national parks

U.S. military veterans and Gold Star Families get free admission to national parks plus wildlife refuges and other sites managed by the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Only admission is free, not activities such as camping, tours or special recreation permits.

Veterans include those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces or the National Guard and Reserves. One of these forms of ID is required when entering a national park:

Department of Defense Identification Card (CAC Card)
Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
Veteran ID Card
Veterans designation on a state-issued U.S. driver’s license or identification card

Free admission extends to travel companions in the same single, private non-commercial vehicle OR the veteran or voucher-holder and three persons (16 and older).

Gold Star families must download a voucher and certify they qualify.

Current members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their dependents can enter national parks for free with a Military Pass through the America the Beautiful – the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Program.

Every Kid Outdoors: How it works

The families of fourth-grade students can visit national parks free. Here’s how it works: Go to the Every Kid Outdoors website and download a pass. You must print it out. Electronic versions are not accepted. Each pass has a unique code, which means you can’t copy it and give it to others.

Passes may be a good deal, especially for seniors

The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass allows unlimited entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including all national parks, for one year. It costs $80 a year. Here’s more information.

The version of that pass for seniors 62 or older, however, is good for the rest of your life, so the best way to celebrate your 62nd birthday is to order one of these $80 passes. Here are details.

It pays to note free days at national parks

Over the last several years, fees at national parks have steadily risen to raise money for deferred maintenance. In many parks, admission now covers seven days, but that is not much help to the day-tripper or someone on a weekend getaway.

As a result, budget-minded travelers are wise to take advantage of free days in national parks.

Consider:

Everglades National Park entrance fee is $35 per vehicle for seven days, beginning in 2024. (Note: Everglades National Park entrance is also free if you use the free trolley from Homestead on winter weekends and between Christmas and New Years.)
Admission to spectacular Canaveral National Seashore near Titusville is $25 per car, starting in 2024. (Good for seven days.)
It’s $25 per car to go to the beautiful beaches of Gulf Islands National Seashore in the Panhandle. (Good for seven days.)

Where does national park entrance fee money go?

About 80 percent of collected fees at a national park stay in that park, while the other 20 percent support National Park Service units that do not charge fees, such as Biscayne National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Of that 80 percent, at least 55 percent of the fees must be used to fund deferred maintenance projects in the park. Everglades National Park has plans over the next few years to improve visitor facilities and services, according to Everglades National Park Superintendent Pedro Ramos.

Some of the fee-funded projects at Everglades National Park include replacing channel markers and improving channel corridors in Florida Bay and the backcountry, bringing back accommodations and a restaurant in Flamingo and reconstructing the Flamingo Visitor Center. Here’s more about visiting Flamingo.

Wildlife refuges where fees are waived on some free days:

There are never any entrance fees to these parks:

Articles on national parks from Florida Rambler:

Florida’s 11 excellent national parks
Everglades National Park visitor guide
Shark Valley area of Everglades National Park: A great place to bicycle
Castillo San Marcos, historic St. Augustine fort
Canaveral National Seashore
Gulf Island National Seashore, a gem near Pensacola
Dry Tortugas National Park

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Bonnie Gross

The author, Bonnie Gross, travels with her husband David Blasco, discovering off-the-beaten path places to hike, kayak, bike, swim and explore. Florida Rambler was founded in 2010 by Bonnie and fellow journalist Bob Rountree, two long-time Florida residents who have spent decades exploring the Florida outdoors. Their articles have been published in the Sun Sentinel, the Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, The Guardian and Visit Florida.