From our time filming and traveling across the national park system, we’ve collected a lot of practical knowledge that we share here. This guide is built from experience, not theory.
At More Than Just Parks, we want you to have the opportunity to experience the love we found in nature. That’s why we want to highlight some of the ways to get into parks for free or at a deep discount. Our small team of dedicated employees are all here because someone introduced us to the outdoors. We want to pay it forward.
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Table of Contents: Free National Parks Access
Free and Discounted National Park Access
America the Beautiful Pass
The interagency pass includes access to lands through the following agencies.
- National Park Service
- Bureau of Land Management
- Bureau of Reclamation
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The standard America the Beautiful Annual Pass costs $80 for US residents and $250 for nonresidents, and you can buy it for yourself or as a gift. Each pass covers a full 12 months from the month of purchase. Buy a pass in January 2026 and it stays valid through the end of January 2027.
Here is the part most people miss.
When you have an annual America the Beautiful pass, the passholder gets access to any park. That much is obvious.
At any public land that normally would charge a per-car fee, the entire carload of people also get in for free. Specifically, here’s some of the fine print on how to maximize the pass.
- The passholder and three adults (16 and older) are covered under an annual pass.
- Children under 16 are never charged for an entrance fee.
- The group must be in a personal vehicle, not a commercial vehicle.
- The group cannot be split between two cars.
You can buy the pass through the official NPS passes page or find a location that sells passes on-site.
Another important note is that if you are visiting a place with a “per-person” fee, only the passholder will be covered under the annual pass.
Senior Discounts
The same rules apply to the Senior Pass when it comes to who can get access to the park if they are in the car with the passholder. Again, that’s three adults (plus the passholder) and any kids 15 and younger.
In addition, seniors qualify for discounts at certain locations for things like camping, guided tours, and boat launching. Each site determines the discounts offered, so inquire before you visit the park.
NOTE: You cannot purchase a senior pass as a gift since the passholder’s age must be verified.
Military Discounts
Two available options allow military members and their families to get free access to public lands. It’s important to note the difference between the annual and lifetime passes.
Military Annual Pass
To get free national parks access in addition to the other public land agencies, the annual pass applies to all current military members and their dependents.
This applies to those serving in the following groups:
- Army
- Navy
- Air Force
- Marines
- Space Force
- Coast Guard
- National Guard Members & Reserves
- Military Cadets
Again, a carload of people with up to four adults and children under 16 get into any park or preserved federal land.
Military Lifetime Pass
Another free national parks access program for veterans applies to Gold Star Families and all veterans. Here is the voucher that Gold Star Families need to fill out.
Check your qualifications for the free military passes on the official NPS passes page.
The only difference between the two passes is that the annual option is for current military members and the lifetime pass is for veterans or Gold Star Families. However, they are both free. The annual pass will just have to be applied for each year.
NOTE: All “free” passes will come with a processing fee of up to $10.
Fourth Grader Free National Parks Access
Did you know your fourth grader could help you get the entire family into national parks for free? As part of the Every Kid Outdoors program, all children in fourth grade, even homeschooled students, get a free annual pass during their fourth-grade year.
Once you visit the Every Kid Outdoors website, you’ll see the eligible child needs to complete a few simple steps before the pass download is an option.
That pass also includes access for three adults and unlimited children under 16 safely in a passenger vehicle.
Parents, grandparents, and guardians – check this out to answer any questions you have.
A fourth-grade free pass covers a year from September through August. The earlier you purchase the pass, the more access you’ll get for the whole family or some friends.
Access Pass for People with Disabilities
The free lifetime pass for those with disabilities includes discounts for some services, like camping. While the passholder will have to show proof of disability, the requirement doesn’t include only 100% disability.
The key determination for an Access Pass is if the potential passholder has a disability that is permanent AND limits life activities.
No age limit exists for the Access Pass.
Here’s more information about the free Access Pass on the NPS passes page.
The Access Pass also covers up to four adults and any children 15 and younger.
Learn More About The Commitment To Accessibility In The National Park Service.
Park Volunteer Free National Park Pass
Anyone with 250 hours of volunteering between the interagency options is eligible for a free annual pass. That also includes the “up to four adults and children” options as all the others.
Hours can be accrued at different agencies. You don’t need 250 hours at one location.
The federal agencies that protect our precious land need volunteers and you can start by looking through options on the Volunteer government website. You could find yourself spending hours on a national seashore beach educating guests about wild horses or working with search and rescue in the depths of Yosemite.
Visit on Fee Free National Park Days
Every year, the National Park Service waives entrance fees at every fee-charging park on a handful of dates, usually tied to a federal holiday or commemoration. For 2026, the fee-free days are:
- February 16: Presidents Day
- May 25: Memorial Day
- June 14: Flag Day
- July 3, 4, and 5: Independence Day weekend
- August 25: 110th Birthday of the National Park Service
- September 17: Constitution Day
- October 27: Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday
- November 11: Veterans Day
New for 2026: fee-free days now apply to US citizens and residents only. Nonresident international visitors still pay the standard entrance fee and any applicable surcharge. The fee waiver also covers entrance only, not camping, tours, or other amenity fees. Always confirm the current dates on the official NPS fee-free days page before you plan around one.
One catch worth knowing. Popular parks like Zion and the Grand Canyon fill up fast on fee-free days, since they are also some of the most crowded days of the year. If you go, get there for sunrise and beat the rush.
Choose One of the Free National Parks
Not all national parks charge an entrance fee. You could choose to visit one of the locations that doesn’t have a fee to begin with.
Full disclosure – some of the locations are in remote Alaska or require a boat to get to, which would cost money to access to park in the most technical sense. Others without an entry fee might charge for guided tours, like in caves.
However, they aren’t all hidden away in the outer reaches or donning a big asterisk. The parks that don’t charge entrance fees are:
- National Park of American Samoa
- Biscayne National Park, Florida
- Channel Islands National Park, California
- Congaree National Park, South Carolina
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
- Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska
- Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri
- Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
- Great Basin National Park, Nevada
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
- Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
- Katmai National Park, Alaska (HELLO, FAT BEARS!)
- Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
- Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska
- Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
- Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
- New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia
- North Cascades National Park, Washington
- Redwood National Park, California
- Virgin Islands National Park, US Virgin Islands
- Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
- Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
- Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska
That means a sizable share of the 63 national parks charge no entrance fee at all. You might swap a trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon for one to Redwood National Park and pay nothing to get in.
Zoom out to the whole National Park System and the picture is even friendlier to your wallet. Of the more than 400 sites the NPS manages, only a small minority charge an entrance fee at all. Most national monuments, historic sites, battlefields, and recreation areas are free to enter year round.
Map of Fee-Free National Parks
Watch Our National Park Films for Free
The More Than Just Parks Brothers work with public lands and local tourism agencies to bring you sights from national parks and forests across the country. Have you checked out our films? They’re free to watch and won’t take much time, but you’ll get to savor the experience of a park that might be on your list.
Here’s a playlist of the National Parks series.
And here you can check out the playlist of the national forests we’ve had the honor to visit and spend time learning about the magic of each one.
Pin Free National Parks and Discount Options
Helpful Related Links
- Best National Parks Ranked: All 63 US national parks ranked by experts
- Most Visited National Parks: The 10 most visited US national parks
- Least Visited National Parks: The 10 least visited national parks
- East Coast National Parks: The best East Coast national parks ranked
- Gifts for Hikers: Useful gifts hikers will actually use
- Redwood National Park: A fee-free park worth the trip
