The Biggest National Park Changes Coming In 2026

While some national parks in the United States are always free, others charge an entry fee except on certain days of the year. One big change coming in 2026 is that fee-free holidays have been added for all U.S. national parks, while other holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth — the only two free days tied to Black history and civil rights — were removed from the list. Overall, the total number of free-fee days at U.S. national parks will increase from eight in 2025 to 10 in 2026. 

One of the new fee-free days to be added in 2026 is Flag Day on June 14, which also happens to be President Donald Trump's birthday. The other new fee-free days for 2026 are Presidents' Day (February 16), Memorial Day (May 25), all of Independence Day weekend (July 3 to 5), the 110th anniversary of the National Park Service (August 25), Constitution Day (September 17), and President Theodore Roosevelt's birthday (October 27). The only fee-free day that will carry over from 2025 to 2026 is Veterans' Day (November 11).

Another big change coming to U.S. national parks in 2026 is related to the America the Beautiful passes, which allow entry to all U.S. national parks and federal lands. For U.S. residents, the price of the pass stays the same at $80, but for non-residents, it will increase to $250. According to the Department of the Interior announcement, this ensures that "American taxpayers who already support the National Park System receive the greatest benefit." In addition, non-U.S. residents who don't purchase an America the Beautiful pass must pay an extra $100 on top of the standard entrance fee for some of the country's most popular parks, including Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion National Parks.

We'll have to wait and see how well the rollout of these changes goes, which come at a time of deep cuts to national park staffing and funding and could result in additional work at entrance stations, particularly around checking passports and other forms of visitor identification. We're also curious about how the decision to convert busy holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July weekend into fee-free days at national parks will affect crowds. Time will tell, but the beauty of America's national parks remains as astounding as ever.