America’s roster of national parks is magnificent. With 63 whole locations with full-fledged nationwide park standing, you would spend your whole life visiting every one and by no means expertise the identical scene twice. There are mountains, deserts, swamps, coral reefs, and islands, plus a big selection of wildlife — from the elk and pronghorn in Grand Teton National Park to the tortoises and bighorn sheep in Joshua Tree.
Whereas most nationwide parks require guests to pay an entry payment — a few of the hottest parks cost as much as $35 for every automobile — a choose few are fully free to go to all yr spherical. It’s essential to notice, nevertheless, that you could be be required to pay for parking or extra actions inside every park.
In 2025, the next nationwide parks are free to all guests:
If the park you had in thoughts isn’t listed above, there are a number of different cost-conscious methods to plan your go to. All nationwide parks (and all federal recreation websites, for that matter) will be accessed with the $80 America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. The go is sweet for a whole yr and covers one personal automobile payment — or 4 per-person charges. For these vacationers planning to go to multiple or two parks in a yr, the preliminary funding will shortly pay for itself.
In case you’re questioning why the Nationwide Park Service prices entry charges basically, remember the fact that, in response to the park service, a minimum of 80 p.c of the leisure payment funding stays on the park the place it was initially collected. This cash goes towards bettering the customer expertise. The opposite 20 p.c is allotted to the free-to-enter parks or those who solely obtain a minute quantity of income.