National Parks Service overhauls free admission days to include TRUMP’s birthday

Sunday, December 7, 2025 -The National Park Service (NPS) is shaking up its fee‑free calendar for 2026 — removing longtime free days and adding Donald Trump’s birthday (June 14) as a new free‑admission day. 

Under the new schedule, visitors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents can enjoy free entry on days now dubbed “resident‑only patriotic fee-free days.” Meanwhile, two holidays previously honored with free entry — Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth — have been removed from the list.

The update doesn’t stop there. Under a new “America‑first pricing” policy, non‑U.S. visitors will face higher costs. On certain popular parks, international travelers will pay standard entrance fees plus a surcharge, and the annual pass for nonresidents increases significantly — while U.S. residents maintain the usual fee structure.

The implications of this change have struck a chord with many Americans. Civil‑rights leaders and advocacy groups have voiced strong objections, arguing that removing MLK Day and Juneteenth from free‑entry status diminishes recognition of Black history and undermines community and volunteer events that often take place in national parks on those days.