The National Park Service has changed the days for free admission in 2026, dropping Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth and adding President Trump’s birthday.
Other traditional free admission days remain, including Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day, Veterans Day, President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday (Oct. 27) and the anniversary of the creation of the Park Service (Aug. 25).
To be fair, the president’s birthday also happens to be Flag Day (June 14). But in 2026 it is being promoted as the day to honor the American president, not a day to honor the American flag.
You may remember that on his birthday in 2025, he organized a military parade in his honor, in Washington, DC, which cost between $25 and $45 Million.
The new free-admission policy takes effect Jan. 1 and is one of several changes announced by the Park Service late last month, which include higher admission fees for international visitors.
Eliminating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, which commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Americans were emancipated, removes two of the nation’s most prominent civil rights holidays, and is the latest example of the Trump Administration to downplay parts of US history while promoting the president’s image and name.
Over the last decade or more, MLK Jr. day has become a day of community service – which has included school groups and others volunteering in a national or state park nearby to pick up refuse, refurbish trail signs and other activities. That’s even more important in 2026 due to the budget cuts to the NPS made by the Trump administration.
The new list of free admission days for Americans is the latest example of the Trump administration downplaying America’s civil rights history while also promoting the president’s image, name and legacy.
This year, 2025, the list of free days included Martin Luther King Jr Day and Juneteenth — which is June 19 — but not June 14, Trump’s birthday.
What Free Admission Includes
Approximately 100 NPS sites charge an entrance fee, with costs ranging from $5 to $35. The other 300-plus national parks sites do not have entrance fees.
On admission free days, only the admission is free.
The fee waiver does not cover amenity or user fees for camping, boat launches, transportation, special tours, or other activities such as IMAX theaters.
Visit NPS.gov/findapark to explore the park options nearest you. If you’re visiting a park that normally charges an entrance fee, review your entrance pass options before you arrive.
It is unclear whether free admission will include foreign guests, who must pay higher admission fees starting 2026.
Reaction to the Changes in Free Admission Dates
Kristen Brengel, a spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association, told the Associated Press that while presidential administrations have tweaked the free days in the past, the elimination of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is particularly concerning. For one, the day has become a popular day of service for community groups that use the free day to perform volunteer projects at parks.”
That will now be much more expensive, said Brengel, whose organization is a nonprofit that advocates for the park system.
“Not only does it recognize an American hero, it’s also a day when people go into parks to clean them up,” Brengel said. “Martin Luther King Jr. deserves a day of recognition … For some reason, Black history has repeatedly been targeted by this administration, and it shouldn’t be.”
Since taking office, Trump has sought to eliminate programs seen as promoting diversity across the federal government, actions that have erased or downplayed America’s history of racism as well as the civil rights victories of Black Americans.
Self-Promotion
Self-promotion is an old habit of the president’s and one he has accelerated in his second term.
He lobbied unsuccessfully for the Nobel Peace Prize, renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace after himself, sought to put his name on the planned NFL stadium in the nation’s capital, had a new children’s savings program named after him, and has taken control of the Kennedy Center and it’s annual honors.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is an award-winning journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is President Emeritus of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA).
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter also is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
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