With 2026 approaching, several key national park policies are changing. Here are the main things visitors should know.
Fee‑free day changes
– There will be 10 fee‑free days in 2026, up from six in recent years. Except for Veterans Day (Nov. 11), these dates differ from 2025.
– 2026 fee‑free days: Presidents Day (Feb. 16); Memorial Day (May 25); Flag Day/Donald Trump’s birthday (June 14); Independence Day weekend (July 3–5); National Park Service 110th birthday (Aug. 25); Constitution Day (Sept. 17); Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday (Oct. 27); Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
– The NPS will not waive fees on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth, the first day of National Park Week, the Great American Outdoors Act anniversary, or National Public Lands Day as it did in 2025.
– Fee‑free days will be limited to U.S. residents only; international visitors will not be eligible.
Entrance fees and international visitors
– Starting Jan. 1, 2026, non‑U.S. residents 16 and older will pay an additional $100 fee at 11 of the most visited parks: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion.
– Annual passes for multiple‑park access will cost $80 for U.S. residents and $250 for non‑residents.
– Parks will ask visitors to present a U.S. government‑issued photo ID at entrances; those without such ID may be charged the higher international fees.
Passes and delivery
– The America the Beautiful annual pass remains $80 for U.S. citizens and residents in 2026 and will be offered as a digital download through Recreation.gov, usable in mobile apps or digital wallets.
– Physical passes remain available but incur a $7.50 shipping and handling charge; passes can also be picked up at more than 1,000 locations nationwide.
– Each annual pass now explicitly includes access for motorcycles, covering two motorcycles per pass.
– Passes are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase through the end of the same month the following year.
Design and controversy
– The Department of the Interior plans new “bold, patriotic” annual pass designs reportedly featuring an image of Donald Trump alongside George Washington; Trump will also appear on the 2026 military pass.
– Legal experts have questioned the legality of using these images because Congress’s National Park Recreation Pass law requires a public competition to select the annual image, a process intended to educate the public about parks and to keep the parks nonpartisan.
Other notes
– Not all parks charge daily entrance fees. Some, like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, have no entrance fee but may charge for parking or services; others, like Hot Springs National Park, are free year‑round.
– Travelers who want older pass imagery should consider purchasing earlier in the year; each pass’s 12‑month validity begins at purchase.
These are the principal changes to national park access, fees, passes and imagery to expect in 2026.
