MLK Day, Juneteenth cut from national parks’ free days; Trump’s birthday added
The Trump administration has altered which days national parks will allow free entry for residents and citizens next year.
The change means Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be fee-free days. Visitors will now be able to enjoy free admission on President Donald Trump’s birthday, which is also Flag Day, though.
Last month, the Department of the Interior announced updates to pricing, which were described as “a new resident-focused fee structure that puts American families first.” The new “patriotic” free entrance days were also announced then, but the National Park Service only updated its website this week.
The changes will not apparently impact the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park in Atlanta, which has always been free. It will affect other parks in metro Atlanta, such as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, which has a $5 standard day pass.
The new fee-free days include Presidents Day (Feb. 16); Memorial Day (May 25); Flag Day/Trump’s birthday (June 14); Independence Day weekend (July 3-5); 110th birthday of the National Park Service (Aug. 25); Constitution Day (Sep. 17); Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday (Oct. 27); and Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
This year, those days were Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 20); start of National Park Week (April 19); Juneteenth (June 19); Great American Outdoors Day (Aug. 4); National Public Lands Day (Sep. 27); and Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
Juneteenth only became a fee-free day in 2024.
Free entrance days will only be for citizens and residents next year. Nonresidents will pay regular entrance fees and other “applicable nonresident fees.”
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