How to visit national parks for free — or really cheap — in 2024

Some national parks are free all year, but others are only free on select days. Here's how to visit national parks for free or cheap this in 2024.

• Some national parks are free 365 days a year, but others are fee-free only on select days.
• You can visit national parks that usually have fees for free on days like January 15 and April 20. 
• You can waive the fees at hundreds of national parks with an $80 America the Beautiful annual pass.

Obsessed with visiting national parks in the US?

Then you'll be happy to hear that the National Parks Service recently announced the days you can visit national parks that usually charge fees for free in 2024.

National parks won't charge entrance fees on a few select days in 2024

Although many national parks are already free to visit, over 100 that usually charge entrance fees will waive them on the following dates:

• January  15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day  

• April 20: First day of National Park Week  

• June 19:  Juneteenth  

• August 4: Anniversary of the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act

• September 28: National Public Lands Day  

• November 11: Veterans Day

It isn't just the 63 official national parks that will be free on these days — hundreds of the 428 National Park Service-managed sites (also sometimes referred to as national parks) will also be free to visit.

Remember that campsites, tours, activities, and park concessions aren't free on those days, just admission. 

See the full list of participating National Park Service-managed parks, monuments, sites, and recreation areas here.

If you miss those dates, you can explore the national parks that are always free to visit

Although some national parks charge an entrance fee, others are fee-free 365 days a year.

Parks that are fee-free all year include popular picks, like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most-visited national parks in the US, and West Virginia's New River Gorge National Park, the newest national park.

There are also great lesser-known picks, like South Carolina's Congaree National Park, where you can paddle through the jungle under sky-high trees, and Minnesota's water-based Voyageurs National Park, where you can snowmobile and see Northern Lights in the winter.

Free-to-visit national parks also aren't limited to the contiguous 48 states — the Virgin Islands National Park and the National Park of American Samoa are fee-free year-round.

Still, you should bring cash for parking or amenities when visiting a national park. Some, like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, don't charge an entrance fee but do charge for parking.

And if you can't visit for free, there are ways to save money on your national-park visits

Many national parks charge $25 to $35 per vehicle for a seven-day visit, but you can save money by carpooling or arriving at parks on foot or by bicycle.

For example, Arizona's Saguaro National Park charges $25 per vehicle but just $15 per person if you enter by foot or bicycle.

To save even more, consider planning your visit during a park's slow season.

Just keep in mind this varies by park. Although many national parks (like Yellowstone and Yosemite) receive the most visitors in summer, Saguaro National Park sees more visitors in winter because summers are so hot in Arizona.

When you visit during off-peak season (and on weekdays versus weekends), you'll often find smaller crowds and score lower prices on local accommodations, activities, and food.

But if you're a frequent traveler, the most effective way to visit national parks on a budget is with an America the Beautiful annual pass.

The pass costs $80 for 2024 and covers entrance fees and standard amenity fees at National Park Service sites.

It's also discounted or free for select groups of people, including seniors and US students in the fourth grade.