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All National Parks will be free to enter on Friday

If you can't find the time to visit one of the nation's parks Friday, you'll have another chance to visit for free on National Public Lands Day (Sept. 23) or Veterans Day (Nov. 11).

by Travis Schlepp | Aug. 03, 2023

Story at a glance

  • Friday is one of five days this year designated by the National Park Service as a fee-free day.
  • Entrance into the parks is free for visitors, but does not cover amenities inside the park, including camping, boat launches and tours.
  • Friday marks the anniversary of the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act.

(KTLA) – Entrance fees at all of America’s national parks will be waived Friday in honor of the anniversary of the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act.

Passed in 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act cleared the way for increased funding, expanded recreation, and infrastructure improvements in the National Park system and other public lands.

Friday is one of five days this year designated by the National Park Service as a fee-free day.

This week’s fee-free day is the first since April 22, which celebrated the first day of National Park Week.

Entrance into the parks is free for visitors, but does not cover amenities inside the park, including camping, boat launches and tours.

Bear Gulch Reservoir in Pinnacles National Park. (Getty Images)
Bear Gulch Reservoir in Pinnacles National Park. (Getty Images)

There are more than 400 park sites that are available to visit every day, including 63 that are officially designated National Parks.

Many parks, recreation areas and historical sites are free to enter daily. But others, including most National Parks, charge an entrance fee, which can range from $5 per person to $35 per vehicle.

These fee-free days are meant to encourage Americans to experience the outdoor splendor offered by the vast National Park system without breaking the bank.

A woman hikes on Santa Cruz Island at Channel Islands National Park with Anacapa island in the distance. (Getty Images)
A woman hikes on Santa Cruz Island at Channel Islands National Park with Anacapa island in the distance. (Getty Images)

California is home to the most National Parks with nine: Channel Islands, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles, Redwood, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and Yosemite. Seven of these National Parks, excluding Channel Islands and Redwood, charge entrance fees.

If you can’t find the time to visit one of the nation’s parks Friday, you’ll have another chance to visit for free on National Public Lands Day (Sept. 23) or Veterans Day (Nov. 11).

The National Park Service also sells an annual pass for $80 that allows unlimited entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including all national parks that charge entrance fees. The Park Service also offers discounts for senior citizens, active duty military, disabled citizens and families of fourth-grade students.

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