With 2026 simply across the nook, vacationers are already planning their nationwide park holidays. However some issues are set to alter subsequent yr.
Like up to now, there can be a number of fee-free days for 2026. Nonetheless, the designated days for these will look a lot completely different. Nationwide parks can even grow to be costlier for worldwide guests, and annual passes can even are available in a brand new digital format, amongst different adjustments.
“This yr we’re making it simpler and extra reasonably priced for each American to expertise the sweetness and freedom of our public lands,” Secretary of the Inside Doug Burgum mentioned in a video posted to X. “These adjustments mirror our dedication to affordability so that each household from each nook of our nation can share within the surprise and abundance of our public lands.”
These are the most important adjustments nationwide park guests ought to pay attention to heading into 2026.
Price-free day adjustments
There can be 10 fee-free days in 2026, a rise from six in previous years. However excluding Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11, 2026, these are fully completely different from the times chosen in 2025.
The fee-free days for 2026 embrace:
- Presidents Day: Feb. 16
- Memorial Day: Might 25
- Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s birthday: June 14
- Independence Day weekend: July 3 to five
- The one hundred and tenth birthday of the Nationwide Park Service: Aug. 25
- Structure Day: Sept. 17
- Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday: Oct. 27
- Veterans Day: Nov. 11
Subsequent yr, the NPS gained’t rejoice Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Juneteenth, the primary day of Nationwide Park Week, the anniversary of the Nice American Open air Act or Nationwide Public Lands Day by waiving entrance charges as they did for 2025.
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The Division of the Inside additionally plans to restrict fee-free days to U.S. residents solely, prohibiting worldwide guests from taking benefit.
Not all nationwide parks have every day charges. Some, like Nice Smoky Mountains Nationwide Park, don’t cost an entrance charge however do cost for different providers, reminiscent of parking. Others, like Arkansas’ Sizzling Springs Nationwide Park, are free year-round.
New prices for worldwide guests
Beginning Jan. 1, it is going to grow to be costlier for non-U.S. residents to go to the preferred nationwide parks, based on the DOI. That’s because of a $100 charge the Nationwide Park Service plans to impose on prime of regular entrance charges in what the Trump administration has referred to as “America-first pricing.”
“These insurance policies make sure that U.S. taxpayers, who already help the Nationwide Park System, proceed to get pleasure from reasonably priced entry, whereas worldwide guests contribute their fair proportion to sustaining and bettering our parks for future generations,” Burgum mentioned in a press release.
This can be in impact for international vacationers 16 and older who go to certainly one of these 11 parks: Acadia Nationwide Park, Bryce Canyon Nationwide Park, Everglades Nationwide Park, Glacier Nationwide Park, Grand Canyon Nationwide Park, Grand Teton Nationwide Park, Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon nationwide parks, Yellowstone Nationwide Park, Yosemite Nationwide Park and Zion Nationwide Park.
Worldwide guests who plan to go to a number of parks can buy an annual go, however that can even value extra for non-residents ($250) than for many who reside within the U.S. ($80).
To implement the brand new rule, guests can be requested to current a U.S. government-issued photograph ID at nationwide park entrances, KQED reported. If they do not have one, they might want to pay the elevated charges.
New digital passes and inclusions
For U.S. residents and residents, the annual America the Lovely go will nonetheless value $80 in 2026. New for subsequent yr, will probably be out there as a digital obtain, which go holders can retailer on their Recreation.gov accounts, in a cellular app or in a cellular pockets.
Go holders preferring a bodily go can nonetheless order one, however please notice that it’ll incur a further $7.50 cost for transport and dealing with. Vacationers may choose up a bodily go in individual at greater than 1,000 places nationwide.
Beginning in 2026, every go will embrace new entry for bikes, overlaying two bikes per go.
New graphics for annual passes
In previous years, annual passes have included photos of wildlife or the pure surroundings that make America’s nationwide parks value visiting. Nonetheless, this yr, the DOI mentioned it is going to provide new “daring, patriotic designs,” together with photos of Trump himself.
Trump’s face will adorn the annual go together with a picture of George Washington behind him, based on a rendering Burgum shared. Trump can even seem on the 2026 annual go for army members, during which he’s dealing with backward in a salute.
Authorized specialists have questioned the legality of putting Trump’s face on the annual go, as these photos are sometimes chosen via a yearly competitors, SFGate reported.
“The Nationwide Park Recreation Go legislation as written by Congress is evident and mandates holding a public competitors for the annual picture to assist educate the general public about nationwide parks and public lands, which clearly precludes utilizing the go and our parks as a political device,” Robert Keiter, a pure useful resource legislation professor on the College of Utah, instructed SFGate. “The parks are and must be an important non-partisan venue for the entire American individuals, as articulated within the 1916 Nationwide Parks Natural Act.”
Going ahead, go holders preferring the previous go imagery ought to make their buy shortly. Every go is legitimate for 12 months from the date of buy via the tip of the identical month the next yr. Vacationers who buy a go in December 2025 will be capable to use it via the next yr.
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