This is When America's National Parks Will be Free to Visit in 2017
Four hundred national parks and thousands upon thousands of monuments and historical sites are waiting to be discovered in the USA. Best of all, for eight days this year you won’t have to pay a single penny to see them.
While 137 sites typically charge admission, entrance fees will be waived on these eight days in 2017:
Saturday and Sunday, April 15–16 and 22–23: Weekends of National Park Week
Friday, August 25: National Park Service Birthday
Saturday, September 30: National Public Lands Day
Saturday and Sunday, November 11–12: Veterans Day Weekend
And if you can’t wait that long or are travelling to the US before these dates, buy an annual pass for a reasonable $80.
Here are the 137 National Park Service sites you’ll be able to explore for absolutely nothing this year:
Arizona
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Grand Canyon National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Petrified Forest National Park
Park Pipe Spring National Monument
Saguaro National Park
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Tonto National Monument
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Tuzigoot National Monument
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Wupatki National Monument
Arkansas
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Pea Ridge National Military Park
California
Cabrillo National Monument
Death Valley National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lava Beds National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument
Pinnacles National Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Yosemite National Park
Colorado
Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park
Colorado National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Mesa Verde National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Florida
Canaveral National Seashore
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Georgia
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Fort Pulaski National Monument
Hawaii
Haleakalā National Park
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve
Yellowstone National Park
Indiana
Maine
Maryland
Antietam National Battlefield
Assateague Island National Seashore
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Fort Washington Park
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Massachusetts
Adams National Historical Park
Cape Cod National Seashore
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Vicksburg National Military Park
Missouri
Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield
Montana
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Glacier National Park
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Yellowstone National Park
Nebraska
Nevada
Death Valley National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Morristown National Historical Park
New Mexico
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Bandelier National Monument
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
White Sands National Monument
Valles Caldera National Preserve
New York
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Saratoga National Historical Park
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial
Oklahoma
Oregon
Crater Lake National Park
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
Pennsylvania
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
Fort Necessity National Battlefield
Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Steamtown National Historic Site
Puerto Rico
South Carolina
South Dakota
Badlands National Park
Jewel Cave National Monument
Tennessee
Texas
Big Bend National Park
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Padre Island National Seashore
Utah
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Natural Bridges National Monument
Zion National Park
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Assateague Island National Seashore
Colonial National Historical Park
George Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls Park
Prince William Forest Park
Shenandoah National Park
Washington
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Olympic National Park
West Virginia
Wyoming
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Devils Tower National Monument
Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Love the USA? Check out these incredible places you never knew existed in ‘the land of the free’!
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.