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National Parks Are Free Today in Honor of Martin Luther King

National Parks Are Free Today in Honor of Martin Luther King
Credit: Shutterstock

If you’re looking for a way to spend Martin Luther King Day, you might want to put visiting a National Park on the list. National Parks in the United States are offering free admission today in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

While some National Parks are free every day, others can cost between $15 and $35 per car to get in.

Today’s free admission applies to all 111 fee-charging National Parks, which includes Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park, and Crater Lake.

Keep in mind that free days are also often exceptionally popular days, so if you do decide to go visit a park today you should be prepared to deal with a rather decent-sized crowd.

Today is the first free admission day of the year, but there are four more if you miss out today:

  • April 18 (first day of National Park Week)

  • August 25 (National Park Service birthday)

  • September 26 (National Public Lands Day)

  • November 11 (Veterans Day)

And if you love going to National Parks, a better idea than visit on free days might be to purchase a National Parks annual pass. Those run $80 and will get a whole car full of people into any of the parks for 365 days. Each pass can also have two owners, so you can share the cost of that pass, and its benefits, with a friend as well.