National Park Service Announces Fee-Free Days for 2023

America has some fantastic national parks, and for a few days in 2023, residents can enjoy that parks at no cost. It’s five days, to be specific. The National Park Service recently announced its fee-free days for 2023, which begin in January and run through November. Find more information here, and view the days below.

Fee-free days:

Jan. 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
April 22 – First Day of National Park Week
Aug. 4 – Great American Outdoors Day
Sept. 23 – National Public Lands Day
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day
On these days, you won’t need to pay an entrance fee or flash your annual pass at the gates — you can simply drive, bike or walk right in and start exploring.

“National parks are really amazing places and we want everyone to experience them,” Chuck Sams, National Park Service director, said in a statement. “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.”

While most of America’s national parks sites are always free to enter, roughly 100 of them charge an entrance fee that ranges from $5 to $35.

“The fee waiver for the fee-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,” according to a statement. “The annual $80 America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass allows unlimited access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including all national parks, for the passholder and companions accompanying them. There are also free or discounted passes available for currently serving members of the U.S. military and their dependents, military veterans, Gold Star Families, fourth grade students, disabled citizens, and senior citizens.”