Get free admission to national parks this week. Here's how

Michael Salerno, Arizona Republic
Updated ·3 min read

You can get free admission to national parks across the country this week in honor of the anniversary of the passage of legislation supporting those parks.

Friday, Aug. 4, marks the three-year anniversary of the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act, and is one of the 2023 free admission days for national parks.

The free admission days fall on significant milestone dates or days when volunteer service to support the parks is part of the tradition.

On these days, entrance fees are waived at the 423 national parks, monuments, recreation areas and other locations nationwide that charge them. Keep in mind you'll still have to pay for activities like camping and launching boats, as well as activities offered by a concessionaire like mule rides at Grand Canyon National Park.

Arizona is home to 22 of those 423 sites, including three of the 63 national parks: Grand Canyon, Saguaro and Petrified Forest. On a day where free access isn't offered, it costs $35 per vehicle to enter Grand Canyon and $25 per vehicle to enter Saguaro and Petrified Forest.

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When to get free admission to national parks in 2023

Monday, Jan. 16: The park service offers free entry this day in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Many people take the day to participate in community service, such as projects at national parks, to honor the legacy of the late civil rights leader.

Saturday, April 22: Entry fees are waived to celebrate the first day of National Park Week, an annual observance highlighting the history and culture of National Park Service sites. National Park Week is April 22-30, 2023.

Friday, Aug. 4: This date marks the three-year anniversary of the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act. Passed in 2020, the legislation funds up to $1.9 billion in national parks and forests annually for five years. The park service considers it a "landmark legislation," in part because it enables them to upgrade infrastructure and improve the visitor experience.

August is also the birth month of the National Park Service. It was established on Aug. 25, 1916, as part of the Organic Act signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.

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Saturday, Sept. 23: This is National Public Lands Day, the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort supporting public lands like national and state parks. It's observed on the fourth Saturday of September. Many parks honor the occasion by organizing volunteer projects such as planting native plant species and removing invasive plants.

Saturday, Nov, 11: The National Park Service offers free entry to all on Veterans Day to honor the military members who served our country. Offering free access on Veterans Day highlights many park service sites' connections to the military, such as Fort Bowie National Historic Site in southern Arizona.

"Every national park is part of our collective identity that defines who we are and where we came from as a nation," the park service's website says. "They are tactile reminders of the values, the ideals, and the freedoms that our veterans protect."

Arizona national parks that charge entrance fees

  • 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.

  • 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.

Arizona national parks that always offer free admission

  • Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

  • Chiricahua National Monument.

  • Coronado National Memorial.

  • Fort Bowie National Historic Site.

  • Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.

  • Canyon de Chelly National Monument.

  • Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site.

  • Navajo National Monument.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: National park free days 2023: Here's when the next one is