However, it can also be a day to explore the National Parks in the country and today Americans can explore parks for free, as it’s one of five days in 2020 when national parks don’t charge an entrance fee. The other days to look out for are:
April 18: First day of National Park WeekAugust 25: National Park Service BirthdaySeptember 26: National Public Lands DayNovember 11: Veterans Day
There are more than 400 national parks, according to the National Park Service, which are available to everyone, every day. The entrance fee waiver for fee-free days does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours, so bear this in mind when visiting one.
According to the National Park Service, nature lovers can buy an annual $80 America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. This pass allows unlimited entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including all national parks that normally charge an entrance fee. There are also free or discounted passes available for senior citizens, current members of the military, families of fourth-grade students, and disabled citizens, according to the website.
Which National Parks are free on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
The following National Parks, which normally charge an admission fee, are free today:
Alaska
Denali National Park & Preserve
Arizona
Glen Canyon National Recreation AreaGrand Canyon National ParkLake Mead National Recreation AreaMontezuma Castle National MonumentOrgan Pipe Cactus National MonumentPetrified Forest National ParkPipe Spring National MonumentSaguaro National ParkSunset Crater Volcano National MonumentTonto National MonumentTumacácori National Historical ParkTuzigoot National MonumentWalnut Canyon National MonumentWupatki National Monument
Arkansas
Fort Smith National Historic SitePea Ridge National Military Park
California
Cabrillo National MonumentDeath Valley National ParkJoshua Tree National ParkLassen Volcanic National ParkLava Beds National MonumentMuir Woods National MonumentPinnacles National ParkSan Francisco Maritime National Historical ParkSequoia & Kings Canyon National ParksWhiskeytown National Recreation AreaYosemite National Park
Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National ParkColorado National MonumentDinosaur National MonumentFlorissant Fossil Beds National MonumentGreat Sand Dunes National Park & PreserveHovenweep National MonumentMesa Verde National ParkRocky Mountain National Park
Florida
Canaveral National SeashoreCastillo de San Marcos National MonumentDry Tortugas National ParkEverglades National ParkGulf Islands National Seashore
Georgia
Chattahoochee River National Recreation AreaChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military ParkCumberland Island National SeashoreFort Pulaski National MonumentKennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Hawaii
Haleakalā National ParkHawai’i Volcanoes National ParkPu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument & PreserveYellowstone National Park
Maine
Acadia National Park
Maryland
Antietam National BattlefieldAssateague Island National SeashoreChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical ParkFort McHenry National Monument and Historic ShrineFort Washington ParkHarpers Ferry National Historical Park
Massachusetts
Adams National Historical ParkCape Cod National Seashore
Michigan
Isle Royale National ParkSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Minnesota
Pipestone National Monument
Mississippi
Gulf Islands National SeashoreVicksburg National Military Park
Missouri
Gateway Arch National Park (formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial)Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield
Montana
Glacier National ParkLittle Bighorn Battlefield National MonumentYellowstone National Park
Nevada
Death Valley National ParkLake Mead National Recreation Area
New Hampshire
Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
New Jersey
Thomas Edison National Historical Park
New Mexico
Bandelier National MonumentCapulin Volcano National MonumentCarlsbad Caverns National ParkChaco Culture National Historical ParkValles Caldera National PreserveWhite Sands National Monument
New York
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic SiteSagamore Hill National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
North Carolina
Wright Brothers National Memorial
North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Ohio
James A. Garfield National Historic SitePerry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial
Oklahoma
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Oregon
Crater Lake National ParkLewis and Clark National Historical Park
Puerto Rico
San Juan National Historic Site
South Carolina
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
South Dakota
Badlands National Park
Tennessee
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Texas
Big Bend National ParkFort Davis National Historic SiteGuadalupe Mountains National ParkPadre Island National Seashore
Utah
Arches National ParkBryce Canyon National ParkCanyonlands National ParkCapitol Reef National ParkCedar Breaks National MonumentDinosaur National MonumentGlen Canyon National Recreation AreaGolden Spike National Historical ParkHovenweep National MonumentNatural Bridges National MonumentZion National Park
Virgin Islands
Christiansted National Historic Site
Virginia
Assateague Island National SeashoreColonial National Historical ParkGeorge Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls ParkHarpers Ferry National Historical ParkPrince William Forest ParkShenandoah National Park
Washington
Fort Vancouver National Historic SiteLewis and Clark National Historical ParkMount Rainier National ParkOlympic National Park
West Virginia
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Wyoming
Devils Tower National MonumentGrand Teton National ParkYellowstone National Park
