If you want to get out to a national park or federal forest for free this year, circle these 10 dates on your calendar.
Federal public lands agencies will once again waive entrance, parking and day-use fees for a limited number of days this year, giving visitors a break in honor of federal holidays or public lands celebrations.
In all, there will be 10 fee-free holidays this year, from January to November, recognized by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Not every holiday is recognized by each agency.
The four days recognized by all five federal agencies are Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20, Juneteenth on June 19, National Public Lands Day on Sept. 27 and Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
In 2023, the federal public lands agencies began to adopt Juneteenth as the newest fee free day, subsequently dropping Presidents Day from the calendar the following year.
Most land management agencies also sell annual passes that allow people to access public lands for no additional charge all year. Options range from the $30 Northwest Forest Pass offered by the U.S. Forest Service to the $80 America the Beautiful Pass that applies to all federal lands.
State parks in Oregon and Washington, as well as local agencies such as Metro, have their own set of fee-free days throughout the year.
Here are all the federal public lands fee free days for 2025:
Jan. 20 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
April 19 — First day of National Park Week (National Park Service only)
June 14 — National Get Outdoors Day (U.S. Forest Service only)
June 16 — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Birthday (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers only)
June 19 — Juneteenth
July 16 — BLM’s Birthday (Bureau of Land Management only)
Aug. 4 — Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act (National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management only)
Sept. 27 — National Public Lands Day
Oct. 12 — First Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only)
Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
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