Free admission days set at national parks

Next one is coming up Monday, with 5 more this year

Visitors walk between two giant sequoias not far from the ancient General Sherman tree at Sequoia National Park. Mark Rightmire — Staff Photographer

A man and his son take in the sights along the Balconies Trail at Pinnacles National Park in central California. photo by David Roya

Joshua Tree is among Southern California’s most popular national parks. Get there very early on a free day to avoid crowds. Watchara Phomicinda — Staff Photographer

Yosemite and other National Park Service properties are free to visit on six days this year, starting with Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Note that extremely popular parks like this one require reservations for much of the year. Mark Rightmire — Staff Photographer

Image

By Marla Jo Fisher

mfisher@scng.com

If you plan ahead, you can save as much as $50 per visit on your outdoor adventures this year.

Here are the dates that every site administered by the National Park Service, including national parks, will be free to visit in 2025. You don’t need a pass, but a few do require reservations.

Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

April 19: First day of National Park Week

June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day

Aug. 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act

Sept. 27: National Public Lands Day

Nov. 11: Veterans Day

So what about these reservations? Well, the Park Service has instituted a reservation policy during peak periods at some popular national parks, monuments, recreation areas, seashores, grasslands and so on. This is to keep visitors from being stuck in long traffic jams trying to get in. This is a good thing, right?

You’ll need to go to recreation.gov and search for the park you want and “timed entry” to find the reservation information.

You have to get a reservation only for the peak visitor periods, which vary according to the park. For example, at Arches National Park in Utah, you’ll need a timed entry reservation this year between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. starting in April. If you can’t get a reservation or you don’t want to pay the $2 reservation fee on recreation.gov, you can just enter the park before 7 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Or walk or bike in. Occasionally, like at Yosemite during holidays, the reservation policy is in effect around the clock, so read up.

Keep in mind that these free days are really popular, so you’ll want to get there at dawn anyway, so you’ll have it more to yourselves.

But where to go? Well, you could trek up to Yosemite, Sequoia or Pinnacles national parks, if you want to stay in California.

If you’ve never been to Pinnacles, I recommend checking it out. It’s a bit of a hidden gem.

However, when I take advantage of these days, I head out to Joshua Tree, in the desert toward Palm Springs.

I recommend going before the crack of dawn — I know, that’s just insane, but hear me out. If you leave your house in the dark, you can watch the sun come up over the desert, which is always dramatic. Then, eat the snack you brought with you (you did bring a snack and water, didn’t you?) and hit a couple of trails. You can get a park map from the ranger, or if you’re there even before the rangers get there, you can download one on NPS.gov.

And make sure you have gas and food and water, because there are no facilities inside the park.

When the rest of the hikers start pouring into the park, that’s your cue to leave, have a nice relaxing lunch and then drive home, maybe with a swim stop at Desert Hot Springs.

Enjoy! nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm