Americans planning their next adventure in the country’s national parks will face a very different calendar of free entry days in 2026, as the Trump administration has enacted sweeping changes that both redefine who benefits from these perks and which days are celebrated. The new policy, announced in late November 2025, replaces Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth with President Donald Trump’s birthday—June 14, which also happens to be Flag Day—as a free admission date, while introducing a host of other patriotic-themed days and sharp fee increases for international visitors.
According to Axios, the Department of the Interior and National Park Service (NPS) confirmed that only U.S. citizens and permanent residents will be eligible for free entry on designated days starting January 1, 2026. Nonresidents, including foreign tourists, will not only pay standard entrance fees but also face a $100 surcharge at 11 of the nation’s most popular parks, a move described by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as “America-first pricing.” The annual pass for nonresidents will jump from $80 to $250, more than triple the cost for U.S. residents.
The overhaul marks a clear shift in priorities. Where previous administrations, especially the Biden administration, had included Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth as fee-free days to honor civil rights and the end of slavery, the Trump administration’s new list leans heavily on days associated with U.S. patriotism and historical figures. The updated 2026 fee-free calendar, as reported by NPR and CNN, now includes:
- Presidents’ Day (February 16)
- Memorial Day (May 25)
- Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday (June 14)
- Independence Day weekend (July 3–5)
- The 110th birthday of the National Park Service (August 25)
- Constitution Day (September 17)
- Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday (October 27)
- Veterans Day (November 11)
Veterans Day remains the only fee-free day carried over from previous years. The first day of National Park Week, the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, National Public Lands Day, and the first Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week—all previously recognized—have been removed from the list. According to NBC News, these changes were announced alongside a broader campaign by the Trump administration to reshape historical narratives on federal lands, including efforts to revise or remove content related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
The timing and symbolism of the changes have not gone unnoticed. CNN highlighted that Martin Luther King Jr. Day had been a fee-free day for years, including throughout Trump’s first term, and Juneteenth was only added in 2024. The removal of these dates, both of which honor the nation’s struggle with civil rights and racial equality, comes as President Trump has made criticism of DEI initiatives and so-called “non-working holidays” a centerpiece of his administration. On Juneteenth this year, Trump remarked, “the number of non-working holidays is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.”
Meanwhile, the addition of Trump’s own birthday as a free entry day—coinciding with Flag Day—has drawn both support and criticism. The Department of the Interior, in its press release, called the new list “resident-only patriotic fee-free days,” emphasizing that U.S. taxpayers “continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations.” As Secretary Burgum put it on social media: “These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations!”
For international visitors, the changes are particularly stark. The July 2025 executive order from President Trump directed the NPS to increase entry fees for foreign tourists and to give U.S. residents “preferential treatment” regarding recreational access rules, including permitting or lottery systems. The Department of the Interior’s 2026 budget proposal projected that the new surcharges on international visitors would generate over $90 million annually. This comes at a time when international visitation to national parks has been in flux; the U.S. Travel Association estimated more than 14 million international visitors to national parks and monuments in 2018, though Yellowstone reported that the share of international visitors dropped from 30% in 2018 to 15% in 2024.
About 100 of the nation’s more than 400 national parks currently collect entrance fees, with costs varying widely. Some charge by the vehicle, others by the person, and entrance fees can range from a few dollars up to $35. The America the Beautiful annual pass, which grants access to all national parks, will remain $80 for residents but will cost $250 for nonresidents starting in 2026. The new rules also clarify that, on fee-free days, only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible for waivers—foreign visitors must pay both the regular entrance fee and any additional nonresident surcharges.
These changes are not happening in a vacuum. As NBC News reported, the National Park Service faced criticism earlier in 2025 for removing and later restoring website content related to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. The agency’s actions were part of a broader push by the Trump administration to review and, in some cases, strip references to DEI from federal websites and materials. In another instance, the Defense Department removed pages about the military service of Jackie Robinson, only to restore them amid public outcry.
The shifting landscape of national park access has sparked debate across the political spectrum. Supporters of the new policy argue that it rightfully prioritizes American taxpayers and focuses on days that celebrate the nation’s founding, military, and conservation heritage. They point to the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt—whose birthday is now a fee-free day—as the “conservationist president” who doubled the number of park sites during his tenure. As one Interior Department announcement put it, the changes reflect “Trump’s commitment to making national parks more accessible, more affordable and more efficient for the American people.”
Critics, however, see the removal of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth as part of a pattern of erasing or downplaying the country’s complex history with race and civil rights. They note that the administration’s broader efforts to revise historical content on public lands, as well as the new “America-first” pricing, risk making national parks less welcoming and accessible to both international visitors and those seeking to engage with the full spectrum of American history. The lack of public comment from the White House, Interior Department, and NPS on the rationale behind the calendar changes has only fueled further debate.
As the new rules take effect, Americans and international visitors alike will need to plan accordingly. For some, the changes represent a reaffirmation of national pride and fiscal responsibility; for others, they are a troubling sign of historical revisionism and exclusion. What’s clear is that the nation’s parks—often called “America’s best idea”—remain a battleground for the stories the country chooses to tell and the values it seeks to uphold.
