National parks fee-free May 26

The National Park Service said Monday, May 25, 2026, will be a fee-free day for U.S. residents at all park sites that normally charge an entrance fee. The Memorial Day waiver applies across the system, including California destinations such as Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Muir Woods and Redwood, according to National Park Service fee pages and park information. Other charges are not automatically waived. The agency said timed-entry fees, reservation fees, camping charges and other activity costs may still apply. ### Which date is the fee-free day? The National Park Service said the fee-free day falls on Monday, May 25, 2026, in observance of Memorial Day. A commemorations page and a news release published this week both list May 25 as the date when entrance fees will be waived at parks that normally collect them. The Park Service also said Memorial Day is one of eight fee-free days it designated for 2026. (home.nps.gov) Those days are limited to entrance fees and apply to U.S. residents at sites that normally charge for entry. ### Does this cover every national park? More than 100 National Park Service sites normally charge an entrance fee, while many others are free year-round, according to Park Service fee information. (nps.gov) That means the Memorial Day waiver matters only at the sites that usually collect an entry charge. California parks included in that group include Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Muir Woods and Redwood, based on National Park Service park pages and fee listings. (nps.gov) Point Reyes does not normally charge an entrance fee, so visitors there would not see a change at the gate on Memorial Day. ### What still costs money? The National Park Service said “other fees, including timed entry or reservation fees, may still apply” on fee-free days. (home.nps.gov) That means visitors can still face separate charges for campgrounds, lodging, special tours, permits or reservations even when the entrance fee is waived. Yosemite’s permits and reservations page says no reservation is required to enter the park in 2026, but it separately lists lodging, campground and wilderness permit requirements. (home.nps.gov) Yosemite’s camping pages also show campground reservations continue to operate on their own booking schedule. ### Do non-U.S. visitors get the waiver too? A National Park Service nonresident-fees page says that beginning in 2026, fee-free days at national parks apply only to U.S. residents. (home.nps.gov) The same page says non-U.S. residents will pay the regular entrance fee and any applicable nonresident fee at covered parks. The Park Service repeated that limitation in its Memorial Day announcement, which said entrance fees will be waived for U.S. residents on May 25. (nps.gov) ### What should Yosemite visitors know before they go? Yosemite National Park said on February 18 that it will not use a timed vehicle reservation system in 2026 after reviewing 2025 traffic, parking and visitor-use patterns. (nps.gov) Superintendent Ray McPadden said the park would continue traffic-management measures aimed at visitor access, safety and resource protection. (home.nps.gov) Yosemite’s reservations page says a reservation is not required to enter the park in 2026, but overnight visitors still need lodging or campground reservations where applicable, and hikers may still need separate permits for activities such as Half Dome or wilderness trips. ### Where can visitors check the rules before Monday? The National Park Service said visitors should check individual park pages for current entrance-fee, reservation and permit rules before arrival. (nps.gov) The agency’s Memorial Day page and each park’s fees-and-passes or reservations pages list the details that remain in force on May 25. Monday, May 25, 2026, is the next fee-free date on the Park Service calendar. (nps.gov) Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Muir Woods and Redwood all post trip-planning updates on their official National Park Service pages, where visitors can confirm fees, reservations and campground availability before leaving. (home.nps.gov) (nps.gov)