The National Park Service announced that it would offer free admission to properties across the United States for five days in 2023.
The free entrance dates for 2023 are Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 16), First Day of National Park Week (April 22), Great American Outdoors Day (Aug. 4), National Public Lands Day (Sept. 23) and Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
On these significant days of commemoration and throughout the year, the National Park Service is committed to increasing access to national parks and promoting the advantages of outdoor recreation for public benefit and enjoyment, officials said.
“National parks are really amazing places, and we want everyone to experience them,” NPS Director Chuck Sams said. “The entrance fee-free days encourage people to discover the beauty, history and inspiration awaiting them in more than 400 national parks throughout the country.”
Only about 100 of the 400-plus national parks have an entrance fee, with costs ranging from $5 to $35. The fee waiver for the free days applies only to National Park Service entrance fees and does not cover amenity or user fees for camping, boat launches, transportation, special tours or other activities.
In 2021, 297 million people visited national parks and spent $20.5 billion in local communities, which supported 322,600 jobs across the country and had a $42.5 billion benefit to the U.S. economy.
