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NATIONAL PARKS
National Park Service

Why national parks aren’t free on Juneteenth

Portrait of Melina Khan Melina Khan
USA TODAY
June 18, 2026, 6:05 a.m. ET

Unlike the past two years, national parks won’t be free to enter on Juneteenth in 2026.

The National Park Service dropped June 19 from its fee-free schedule after including the holiday in 2024 and 2025, reshaping this year’s list to highlight other dates instead. The new free-entry days include June 14, which is both Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s birthday, as well as Independence Day weekend (July 3–5) and Aug. 25, which marks the agency’s 110th anniversary.

Here's what to know.

Is national park entry free on Juneteenth?

No, Friday, June 19 or Juneteenth is not a free entry day at national park sites this year.

NPS, in its first full year under Trump's administration, removed both Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day from its free entry dates.

The changes, which NPS announced in December 2025, also came after Trump took aim at the agency's diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

In 2025, the president signed an executive order enacting several changes to the parks, including charging non-U.S. residents higher fees for park entry and ordering gift shops to remove items that support DEI programs.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota: A herd of wild horses lives in the badlands of North Dakota.

See national park free entry days for 2026

National parks that charge an entry fee with be free on ten dates throughout 2026. Three of them – President's Day, Memorial Day and Flag Day/President Trump's birthday – have already passed.

Here's when they will be free for the rest of the year:

  • Independence Day weekend: July 3–5 
  • National Park Service's 110th birthday: Aug. 25 
  • Constitution Day: Sept. 17 
  • Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday: Oct. 27 
  • Veterans Day: Nov. 11 

How much are national park entry fees?

While many NPS sites around the country are free to enter, some charge a fee per vehicle or person.

A full list of national parks and whether they have entry fees is available on the agency's website.

For a list of parks that are always free, see more here.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.

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