Come experience the national parks! On five days in 2021, all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. Virginia parks will also offer FREE parking*.
Before visiting a park, please check the park website to determine its operating status. Updates about the overall NPS response to COVID-19, including safety information, are posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus.
Mark your calendar for these entrance fee–free dates in 2021:
- January 18: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- April 17: First day of National Park Week – For additional information on local activities all week this Post.
- August 4: One year anniversary of Great American Outdoors Act
- August 25: National Park Service Birthday
- September 25: National Public Lands Day
- November 11: Veterans Day
National parks are America’s Best Idea, and there are more than 400 parks available to everyone, every day. The fee-free days provide a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite, especially one of the national parks that normally charge an entrance fee. The others are free all of the time. Plan your visit and enjoy our country’s history and nature.
The fee waiver includes entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise. Fee-free days make parks accessible to more people. However, national parks are always economical, with entrance fees that range from $3 to $30. In addition, any fourth grade student can get a free annual pass through the Every Kid in a Park program, and active duty military and citizens with a permanent disability can also get free passes. For more information about the variety of discounted passes available, please visit the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass page.
Parks listed below waive their entrance fees on nationally designated fee free dates. Please check with each park for COVID updates, operating hours and event schedules:
Virginia
Assateague Island National SeashoreColonial National Historical Park – Historic Jamestowne will be CLOSED through January 31, 2021, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.George Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls ParkHarpers Ferry National Historical ParkPrince William Forest ParkShenandoah National Park
North Carolina
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Maryland
Antietam National Battlefield
Assateague Island National Seashore
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
For more information check out this article on National and Virginia Public Lands Day by Nancy Heltman.
*While nearly all our parks will be free, there are three exceptions. Natural Bridge State Parks has a per person admission fee for access to the bridge that still applies. The $5 parking fee for trail access outside of the Natural Bridge is waived. Per person admission at Southwest Virginia Museum also applies. Finally, there is a $5 per car event fee for the Virginia Symphony concert at Pocahontas State Park that will not be waived.
