National Parks Free Days 2026: Tuesday, Oct. 27 and Veterans Day, Nov. 11

The next free entrance day at National Park Service (NPS) parks is Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday. After that, Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, is the last entrance-fee-free day of the year, according to the National Park Service.

On both days, parks that normally charge an entrance fee waive it. The NPS says the free entrance “will be for US citizens and residents only.” Nonresidents “will pay the regular entrance fee and any applicable nonresident fees.”

The last two fee-free days of 2026

The National Park Service lists eight fee-free days in 2026. The two still ahead are Oct. 27 and Nov. 11. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) marks the same two dates, and national wildlife refuges run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are free on Veterans Day.

Date	Day	Occasion	Agencies with free entry
Oct. 27, 2026	Tuesday	Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday	National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management
Nov. 11, 2026	Wednesday	Veterans Day	National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Recreation.gov also lists Nov. 11, 2026, as fee-free at the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For Oct. 27, only the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management are confirmed.

What the waiver does and does not cover

The free day covers the entrance fee only. The National Park Service says “other fees, including timed entry or reservation fees, may apply.” Some parks require a timed-entry or reservation ticket in parts of the year; check the park’s own page before you drive out.

The Bureau of Land Management waives standard amenity and day-use recreation fees but not “group day-use, developed camping, cabin rentals, and individual special recreation permits.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the entrance fee waiver “does not cover concessionaire or permit fees for some activities such as hunting, fishing or special tours.”

Free entry is for residents only

Starting in 2026, free access on these days is for U.S. citizens and residents only at both the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Nonresidents pay the regular entrance fee and any nonresident fee.

The National Park Service charges a nonresident fee of $100 per visitor age 16 and older at 11 parks: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. That fee is waived for holders of an annual or America the Beautiful pass. The America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Pass is $250.

Veterans and military get in free year-round

Two passes are free and cover entrance on any day, the National Park Service says.

• Military Lifetime Pass: free for veterans, defined as “an individual who has served in the US Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserves,” and for Gold Star Families.
• Military Annual Pass: free for current U.S. Armed Forces members and their dependents, with a Common Access Card (CAC), DD Form 1173 or Next Generation dependent identification.

You can get either pass free in person at a park, as a free digital pass on Recreation.gov ($7.50 for an optional physical card), or by mail through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Store for a $10 processing fee. Gold Star family members print a Free Access Voucher.

Before you go

Confirm you have identification that shows you are a U.S. citizen or resident, then check the park’s fees and reservations page, because timed-entry or reservation fees may still apply and camping, tours and permits are still paid. Check park alerts and road closures the morning you travel. The printable checklist above lists these steps and both dates to keep on the fridge.

Most sites run by the National Park Service are free to visit all year, and only some charge an entrance fee, so a fee-free day changes nothing at many of them. The park’s own page says whether your destination charges. For the rest of the season, our November 2026 printable calendar and the Veterans Day 2026 guide cover the other dates around Nov. 11.