National Parks Are Free This Thursday, With One Important Catch

If you have Thursday free, it may be a good time to take a trip to a national park. The National Park Service is dropping entrance fees on Sept. 17 for Constitution Day.

The offer includes every National Park Service location that normally charges people to enter. At a park like Yosemite, one family could save the usual $35 vehicle fee.

However, not everyone will get in for free. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents qualify for the offer this year.

There may also be a few other charges waiting for you once you arrive. The free day doesn’t include camping, tours, or reservation fees.

The Free Day is only available for u.s. residents

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According to the National Park Service, free entrance days became limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents at the beginning of 2026.

Visitors from other countries must still pay the regular entrance fee. At Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion and several other parks, non-residents ages 16 and older also have to pay an additional $100 each.

A couple visiting Yosemite from another country could pay $235, including the $35 vehicle fee and two $100 non-resident fees.

The other choice is a $250 Non-Resident Annual Pass. It covers entrance and non-resident fees for one vehicle or the passholder and up to three other adults at places that charge each person separately.

You May Still Need a Reservation

The fee-free day only waives the park entrance fee. You will still have to pay if you reserved a campsite, cave tour, boat ride, or another activity.

Some busy parks also require timed-entry reservations. You won’t have to pay the park’s entrance fee on Thursday if you qualify, but you may still need a reservation and have to pay its booking fee.

Many National Park Service locations are already free to enter. Mammoth Cave National Park, for example, doesn’t charge admission on any day, but most cave tours require tickets.

There Are 2 More Free Days This Year

The Constitution Day event celebrates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787. The free admission lasts all day on Thursday.

If you can’t visit this week, the next free day is Oct. 27 for Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday. The final one listed for 2026 is Veterans Day on Nov. 11. Both dates will have the same rules. International visitors will still have to pay, and extras like camping and tours will not be free.