In 2026, Americans will get free admission to national parks on President Donald Trump‘s birthday but no longer on Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to the National Park Service website.
Previously, the National Park Service included these two federal holidays among its free-entry days for its 116 parks.
Federally recognized in 2021 under the Biden Administration, Juneteenth has been celebrated for more than a century and a half. The day commemorates the final end of slavery in Confederate states just after the end of the Civil War.
The NPS also added more free-admission days for next year – calling them “patriotic fee-free days” – such as Trump’s birthday on June 14, July 4th weekend and the 110th Birthday of NPS.
The Department of the Interior did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
The move is one of several for NPS under the executive order designed to “allow more Americans to visit national parks” and also cut back on DEI policies. Recently, NPS announced an “America-first” initiative that would charge an additional $100 per person onto foreign tourists without an annual pass to enter the 11 most-visited national parks starting Jan. 1.
Starting next year, the free days will only apply to U.S. citizens and residents, according to the NPS website.
“These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a news release.
Here’s what travelers should know.
Some national parks are free while others charge an entry fee that’s typically no more than $35 per vehicle.
Contributing: Eve Chen, USA TODAY

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