National Park Service Cuts Free Entry for MLK Day, Juneteenth and Adds Trump's Birthday
National Park Service Free Entry on Trump's Birthday ... But Not on MLK Day or Juneteenth!!!
Published
Donald Trump is giving Americans a new way to celebrate his birthday -- free entry to national parks! Two other holidays -- Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- are getting the boot, however.
The calendar of free entry dates on the National Park Service website confirms this change for 2026 and covers 116 parks, from Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon to Everglades National Park and beyond.
Juneteenth commemorates the official end of slavery in the U.S. and was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 under the Biden Administration. It was added as a free day to enter national parks in 2024.
In addition to Trump's birthday, which is shared with Flag Day on June 14, US residents can also enjoy free admission to parks on Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day weekend (July 3 - 5), the 110th Birthday of the National Park Service on August 25, Constitution Day, Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday and Veterans Day.
The Trump Administration calls the free entrance designations "patriotic fee-free days."
The move is a part of the prez's July 2025 "Making America Beautiful Again" executive order that aimed to make parks more affordable for American citizens and to fund improvement by charging foreign visitors higher national park fees.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a press release the upcoming changes are part of President Trump’s plans to "always [put] American families first." He added ... "These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations."
The Annual Pass will cost $80 for U.S. residents and $250 for nonresidents beginning on Jan. 1, and foreign travelers without an annual pass will be charged a $100 per person fee to enter 11 of the most visited national parks, in addition to the standard entrance fee.
