The First National Parks Free Admission Day of 2024 Is Almost Here

This year, the National Park Service is offering a special gift to all outdoor enthusiasts: an extra free admission day to national parks in 2024!

The popular entrance fee-free days offered throughout each year are getting bumped from five to six dates in 2024. The new additional day will honor Juneteenth, the most recent addition to US federal holidays. Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the US, became a federal holiday in 2021, making it the first new federal holiday recognized since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

"National parks are places that awaken senses, inspire curiosity, encourage reflection, and foster joy," said Chuck Sams, the NPS's director, in a statement. "The entrance fee-free days expand opportunities for people to visit their national parks and experience the beauty and history of our country."

Outdoors enthusiasts will be be pleased to know that the first free admission day of 2024 is just around the corner. On Monday, January 15, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, you'll be able to visit all the national parks across the US without paying an entrance ticket!

If you can't make it on January 15, don't worry—below are the other five free admission days scheduled this year! Check them out below:

Already booked in 2024 on these dates? No worries, more than 300 parks across the country are free to enter every day. And if you have to open up your wallet, the cost to enter parks that have entrance fees range from $10 to $35. If you do end up paying a fee, you can rest easy knowing you gave back to the land you enjoyed, since 80 to 100% of entrance funds stay in the park where they are collected. That money helps support a variety of visitor services, from restoring wildlife habitats to upgrading facilities, enhancing accessibility for all travelers and much more.

And a heads up before you travel: the fee-free days only apply to entrance fees to the national parks. If you want to camp, take a paid tour or utilize other amenities, expect to pay user fees.

Not sure which park to visit during next year’s free days? Thrillist has compiled a list of the most popular national parks, the most underrated national parks, the best national parks to visit in winter, perfect for escaping those mid-January winter blues.

Here's our running list of all the cheap travel deals you can book right now, and you can head here for all the latest flight deals plus cheap things to do and savings on hotels, cruises, trains, and more to help you plan for your next trip.

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