Free National Parks in the US 2026
There are 63 officially designated national parks in the United States spread across 30 states and 2 U.S. territories — and a surprisingly large portion of them charge absolutely nothing to enter. Of those 63 national parks, 21 are completely free to visit every single day of the year, no pass required, no fee waived, no special occasion needed. Beyond the 63 national parks, the broader National Park Service (NPS) system manages over 430 total sites — including national monuments, battlefields, historic sites, seashores, and recreation areas — of which approximately 309 sites are permanently free. That means the vast majority of America’s protected public lands are open to everyone at no cost, making the United States one of the most accessible countries in the world when it comes to free outdoor and historical recreation. In 2026, with the NPS celebrating its 110th anniversary, understanding exactly which parks are free — and what makes each one worth visiting — is more relevant than it has ever been.
The 21 free national parks in the US span an extraordinary range of landscapes, ecosystems, and histories. From the mist-draped ridges of Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina — the single most visited national park on Earth, with over 12 million visits in 2024 and not a single dollar charged at the gate — to the remote wilderness of Gates of the Arctic in Alaska, where fewer than 12,000 people venture per year and the park has no roads, no trails, and no visitor facilities of any kind, the free parks represent the full breadth of what makes American public lands extraordinary. Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio draws nearly 3 million visitors a year from the suburbs of Cleveland and Akron. Gateway Arch in Missouri, the smallest national park at just 193 acres, welcomes millions of visitors to the iconic steel arch along the Mississippi River. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky protects the longest known cave system on the planet. Each of these parks is free to enter. Each tells a story that no entrance fee should ever gate off from the American public.
Interesting Facts: Free National Parks in the US 2026
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total US National Parks (2026) | 63 officially designated national parks |
| Free National Parks (Always Free, No Fee) | 21 out of 63 national parks — permanently free every day |
| Free NPS Sites Total (All Types) | Approximately 309 out of 430+ NPS sites are always free |
| National Parks That Charge Entrance Fees | 42 out of 63 national parks charge a regular entrance fee |
| Total NPS Sites Charging Fees | Approximately 108–110 out of 430+ NPS sites charge fees |
| Most Visited Free National Park (2024) | Great Smoky Mountains — 12,191,834 visits and always free |
| Largest Free National Park | Wrangell–St. Elias, Alaska — 13.2 million acres (larger than Switzerland) |
| Smallest National Park (Also Free) | Gateway Arch, Missouri — just 193 acres |
| Newest Free National Park | New River Gorge, West Virginia — designated a national park in December 2020 |
| Deepest Free National Park | Mammoth Cave, Kentucky — longest known cave system on Earth: 420+ miles surveyed |
| Free Park with Most Biodiversity | Great Smoky Mountains — over 19,000 documented species; UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Free Park Closest to a Major City | Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio — located between Cleveland and Akron |
| Free Park with Highest Elevation Feature | Wrangell–St. Elias, Alaska — home to 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the US |
| Great Smoky Mountains Economic Impact (2024) | $2.8 billion to local gateway communities |
| Free NPS Sites in Every State? | Yes — as of 2023, NPS has at least one site in all 50 states, DC, and 4 US territories |
| Why Great Smoky Mountains Is Free | Congress mandated it remain free when the park was established; the states of Tennessee and North Carolina contributed the land |
| NPS Total Acreage (All Sites) | Over 85 million acres managed by the National Park Service |
| Total NPS Recreation Visits (2024) | 331,863,358 — all-time record; most visits to always-free parks |
Sources: NPS Visitation Numbers (nps.gov/aboutus/visitation-numbers.htm); NPS Fee-Free Parks (nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm); NPS 2024 Annual Summary; Smithsonian Magazine, March 2025; NerdWallet, December 2025; North Shore Family Adventures, December 2025; brightstandards.com; Great Smoky Mountains NP Wikipedia; New River Gorge NP (nps.gov/neri)
The 21 always-free national parks represent some of the most ecologically rich, historically significant, and geographically diverse landscapes in the entire NPS portfolio. The fact that Great Smoky Mountains — which draws more visitors than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite combined — has never charged an entrance fee and still generates $2.8 billion in local economic impact is perhaps the most powerful argument for why free access to public lands pays dividends far beyond the gate. The park’s founding legislation specifically prohibited entrance fees as a condition of the land donations from Tennessee and North Carolina, and that legacy has never been reversed. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the usage spectrum, Gates of the Arctic — a free park the size of Switzerland with zero paved roads — sees fewer than 12,000 visitors a year, making it the least visited national park in the US while remaining one of the most pristine wilderness areas on the planet.
For families and travelers planning 2026 trips, the 21 permanently free parks offer something that no fee-waiver calendar can match: predictable, year-round, no-reservation-required free access. Unlike fee-charging parks, which require pass planning or fee-free day scheduling, these parks simply open their gates every day without condition. From the Appalachian fog and old-growth coves of the Smokies to the volcanic lava fields and rainforests of American Samoa (yes, the National Park of American Samoa is also free), the range of experiences available without spending a dollar on entry is extraordinary. The 21 free parks alone cover tens of millions of acres of protected land — and that’s before counting the additional 288+ free NPS monuments, battlefields, historic sites, and recreation areas that fill in the map from coast to coast.
Complete List of Always-Free National Parks in the US 2026
| Park Name | State(s) | Size (Acres) | Established | Key Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Smoky Mountains NP | TN & NC | 522,419 | 1934 | Most visited US national park; UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Cuyahoga Valley NP | Ohio | 32,783 | 2000 | Located between Cleveland & Akron; Cuyahoga River corridor |
| New River Gorge NP & Preserve | West Virginia | 70,000+ | 2020 | Newest national park; world-class whitewater & rock climbing |
| Gateway Arch NP | Missouri | 193 | 2018 | Smallest US national park; iconic 630-ft stainless steel arch |
| Wrangell–St. Elias NP & Preserve | Alaska | 13,175,901 | 1980 | Largest US national park; 9 of the 16 highest US peaks |
| Gates of the Arctic NP & Preserve | Alaska | 8,472,506 | 1980 | No roads, trails, or facilities; least visited US national park |
| Glacier Bay NP & Preserve | Alaska | 3,223,384 | 1980 | UNESCO World Heritage; tidewater glaciers and humpback whales |
| Katmai NP & Preserve | Alaska | 4,093,077 | 1980 | Famous for brown bear salmon-catching at Brooks Falls |
| Kenai Fjords NP | Alaska | 669,983 | 1980 | Exit Glacier; marine life; calving glaciers into Resurrection Bay |
| Kobuk Valley NP | Alaska | 1,750,717 | 1980 | Arctic sand dunes; caribou migration corridor; no roads |
| Lake Clark NP & Preserve | Alaska | 2,619,733 | 1980 | Fly-in only; brown bears, volcanoes, salmon streams |
| Biscayne NP | Florida | 172,924 | 1980 | 95% underwater; coral reefs, shipwrecks; near Miami |
| Channel Islands NP | California | 249,561 | 1980 | 5 islands off Santa Barbara; ferry tickets required; “California’s Galapagos” |
| Congaree NP | South Carolina | 26,276 | 2003 | Largest old-growth bottomland forest in southeastern US |
| Great Basin NP | Nevada | 77,180 | 1986 | Bristlecone pines (oldest living trees); Lehman Caves |
| Hot Springs NP | Arkansas | 5,554 | 1921 | Oldest NPS area (1832); thermal spring bathhouses; in downtown Hot Springs |
| Mammoth Cave NP | Kentucky | 54,012 | 1941 | World’s longest known cave system — 420+ miles mapped |
| North Cascades NP | Washington | 504,554 | 1968 | Over 300 glaciers — highest concentration in lower 48 states |
| Redwood NP | California | 138,999 | 1968 | Tallest trees on Earth — coast redwoods up to 380 feet tall |
| Voyageurs NP | Minnesota | 218,200 | 1975 | 40% water; 26 lakes; Northern Lights viewing; boat access only |
| Wind Cave NP | South Dakota | 33,851 | 1903 | One of the world’s longest & most complex caves; 160+ miles mapped |
Sources: NPS official park pages (nps.gov); NPS Fee-Free Parks list (nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm); NerdWallet free parks list, December 2025; AAA Club Alliance free parks guide; North Shore Family Adventures, December 2025; Wikipedia national park entries; brightstandards.com US National Parks Guide 2026
Looking at the 21 permanently free national parks side by side, a few things immediately stand out. Alaska dominates the list with 8 of the 21 free national parks, covering a combined area of over 33 million acres — territory that dwarfs most countries on Earth. Alaska’s parks are free in part because many are genuinely inaccessible without significant private investment in flights, boats, or backcountry gear, making an entrance fee more of a symbolic gesture than a meaningful barrier. At the other extreme, Gateway Arch — the smallest park at 193 acres and built in the middle of a major American city — sees millions of visitors annually from the urban St. Louis population, making free access a matter of basic civic equity. The range from 193 acres to 13.2 million acres within the single category of “always-free national parks” is a testament to how varied and sprawling the American protected lands system truly is.
The more ecologically modest parks on this list quietly punch above their weight. Congaree National Park in South Carolina, at just 26,276 acres, protects the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern United States — a forest type that once blanketed millions of acres across the region before being almost entirely cleared. Great Basin National Park in Nevada safeguards some of the oldest living organisms on the planet: Great Basin bristlecone pines that are over 5,000 years old. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 and has more than 420 miles of surveyed passages — and scientists believe there may be hundreds of additional miles yet to be mapped. None of these parks charge you a cent to walk through their doors, and each one holds something genuinely irreplaceable.
Most Visited Always-Free National Parks Statistics in the US 2026
| Park | State | 2024 Visits | 2023 Visits | 10-Year Avg | Notable Stat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Smoky Mountains NP | TN & NC | 12,191,834 | 13,291,000 | ~12 million/yr | More visitors than Yellowstone + Yosemite + Grand Canyon combined |
| Cuyahoga Valley NP | Ohio | ~3.2 million | 2,860,000 | ~3 million/yr | Most visited NP in the Midwest; between Cleveland & Akron |
| New River Gorge NP | West Virginia | 1,811,937 | 1,704,000 | N/A (est. 2020) | +6.31% growth 2024; all-time record |
| Gateway Arch NP | Missouri | ~2 million | ~2 million | ~2 million/yr | Smallest national park by acreage; massive urban visitor base |
| Biscayne NP | Florida | ~800,000 | ~750,000 | ~700,000/yr | 95% underwater; popular diving, snorkeling, boating |
| Congaree NP | South Carolina | ~200,000 | ~190,000 | ~170,000/yr | Fastest-growing Southeast park; benefits from Columbia, SC proximity |
| Mammoth Cave NP | Kentucky | ~700,000 | ~650,000 | ~600,000/yr | Cave tours remain popular despite no entrance fee |
| Redwood NP | California | ~450,000 | ~440,000 | ~420,000/yr | Jointly managed with California State Parks |
| Wind Cave NP | South Dakota | ~670,000 | ~660,000 | ~640,000/yr | Often visited with nearby Jewel Cave NM and Badlands NP |
| North Cascades NP | Washington | ~30,000 | ~30,000 | ~28,000/yr | One of the least visited lower-48 parks despite stunning scenery |
Sources: NPS Visitation Numbers (nps.gov/aboutus/visitation-numbers.htm); NPS 2024 Annual Visitor Use Statistics Dashboard (nps.gov/subjects/socialscience); Smithsonian Magazine, March 2025; WV Gazette-Mail, March 2025 (New River Gorge); NPS Great Smoky Mountains press release, Feb 2024 (nps.gov/grsm); Buckrail, April 2025; Outside Online, March 2025
The visitation gap between Great Smoky Mountains and every other free national park is staggering — and it raises important questions about what drives park attendance when money is removed from the equation. At 12.2 million visits in 2024, the Smokies outpace the second free park on this list (Cuyahoga Valley at ~3.2 million) by nearly 4 to 1. The factors driving Smoky Mountain dominance are well understood: the park sits within a day’s drive of roughly one-third of the entire US population, its gateway communities in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have become major tourism destinations in their own right, and the park’s year-round accessibility on paved roads means that virtually anyone with a car can visit without special gear or planning. The $2.8 billion in local economic impact those visitors generate annually makes Great Smoky Mountains the single most economically productive free national park in the country.
New River Gorge tells a different but equally compelling story. Designated as America’s newest national park only in December 2020, it set an all-time visitation record of 1,811,937 visitors in 2024 — a +6.31% increase from 2023 that outpaced the overall 2% national NPS visitation growth rate. The park’s 70,000+ acres in West Virginia offer world-class whitewater rafting on Class IV and V rapids, internationally recognized rock climbing on sandstone cliffs, and spectacular views of the New River Gorge Bridge — the longest steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere when it was built. That $96.5 million in local visitor spending (2023 data) shows a small, relatively rural park generating real economic energy for a state that has historically struggled with economic development. Getting a park designation changed from “national river” to “national park and preserve” in 2020 quite literally put this place on the map for millions of new visitors.
Free National Parks by Region in the US 2026
| Region | Free National Parks | Count | Combined Acreage (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Wrangell–St. Elias, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, (partial: Bering Land Bridge NP not designated) | 8 | Over 33 million acres |
| Southeast | Great Smoky Mountains (TN/NC), Biscayne (FL), Congaree (SC), Hot Springs (AR) | 4 | ~756,000 acres |
| Midwest | Cuyahoga Valley (OH), Gateway Arch (MO), Voyageurs (MN), Wind Cave (SD), Mammoth Cave (KY) | 5 | ~339,000 acres |
| West / Pacific | Redwood (CA), Channel Islands (CA), North Cascades (WA), Great Basin (NV) | 4 | ~970,000 acres |
| Mountain / Central | New River Gorge (WV) | 1 | ~70,000 acres |
| Total | 21 always-free national parks | 21 | ~35+ million acres |
| States with Most Free NPS Sites (All Types) | Alaska, California, New Mexico, Virginia, Washington DC area | — | — |
| States with ZERO NPS Fee Sites | Many small states and territories are served entirely by free NPS sites | — | — |
| Free NPS Sites Per Region (All 430+ Sites) | Northeast (historic sites, seashores), South (battlefields, historic parks), West (monuments, recreation areas) | ~309 | ~50+ million acres |
Sources: NPS Find a Park (nps.gov/findapark); NPS Fee-Free Parks (nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm); brightstandards.com US National Parks List 2026; NPS Office of Strategic Programs 2024; AAA Club Alliance free parks guide; Wikipedia – List of national parks of the United States
The regional breakdown of America’s permanently free national parks reveals how deliberately the NPS system was built to ensure geographic accessibility — even if that geography has sometimes been shaped more by land availability and politics than by deliberate equity planning. Alaska’s 8 free national parks are free in a practical sense because they are almost completely inaccessible without chartering float planes or hiring wilderness guides; charging an entrance fee would be logistically absurd and financially inconsequential. But the result is that Alaska’s 33+ million acres of free national park land — lands that include some of the most ecologically intact wilderness left on the planet — officially belong to all Americans, even if relatively few will ever visit. The Southeast, by contrast, hosts 4 free parks including Great Smoky Mountains that are all highly accessible by car and draw a combined visitation of well over 13 million people a year.
The Midwest’s 5 free national parks represent perhaps the most democratically accessible cluster in the entire system. Cuyahoga Valley sits between two major cities with millions of low-income residents who benefit directly from free admission. Gateway Arch is located in downtown St. Louis, a city with significant economic inequality, making its zero-admission policy genuinely meaningful for local communities. Mammoth Cave in western Kentucky sits in one of the most economically challenged regions of the state, and its status as a free park ensures that the most economically diverse visitor population in the NPS system can access a UNESCO World Heritage Site without financial barriers. These are not accidents. They reflect a legislative and political history in which the communities surrounding these parks specifically fought to keep them free as a condition of their establishment.
Free National Parks Economic & Conservation Statistics in the US 2026
| Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| Great Smoky Mountains — 2024 Visitor Spending (Gateway Communities) | $2.0 billion direct; $2.8 billion total economic impact |
| Great Smoky Mountains — 2023 Visitor Spending | $2.2 billion direct in gateway communities |
| New River Gorge — 2023 Visitor Spending (Most Recent) | $96.5 million in local communities |
| Southern West Virginia Counties Tourism Benefit (2023) | $1.2 billion across 9 counties near New River Gorge |
| Cuyahoga Valley — 2023 Visitor Spending | Approximately $95–100 million in gateway communities |
| Great Smoky Mountains — Species Documented | Over 19,000 documented species — one of the most biodiverse areas in North America |
| Great Smoky Mountains — Acreage | 522,419 acres straddling Tennessee and North Carolina |
| Mammoth Cave — Cave Miles Surveyed | Over 420 miles — longest known cave system on Earth |
| Mammoth Cave — UNESCO World Heritage Status | Designated 1981 |
| Redwood NP — Tallest Trees | Coast redwoods reaching up to 380 feet — tallest living things on Earth |
| Redwood NP — Old-Growth Acreage | Approximately 45% of the world’s remaining coast old-growth redwood forest |
| North Cascades — Glaciers | Over 300 glaciers — highest concentration in the contiguous United States |
| Wrangell–St. Elias — Size Comparison | Larger than Switzerland; encompasses 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the US |
| Gates of the Arctic — Roads | Zero paved roads — no trails, no visitor facilities, no entrance station |
| Glacier Bay — UNESCO Status | Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and international biosphere reserve |
| Great Basin — Bristlecone Pines | Some trees over 5,000 years old — among the oldest living organisms on Earth |
| Voyageurs NP — Water Coverage | 40% of the park is water — accessible only by boat or snowmobile in winter |
| Biscayne NP — Underwater Acreage | 95% of the park is water — largest marine national park in the Eastern US |
Sources: NPS Great Smoky Mountains visitor spending report (nps.gov/grsm, 2025); WV Gazette-Mail, March 2025 (New River Gorge spending); NPS Visitor Spending Effects Report 2024 (Science Report NPS/SR—2025/353); NPS park pages: nps.gov/maca (Mammoth Cave), nps.gov/redw (Redwood), nps.gov/noca (North Cascades), nps.gov/wrst (Wrangell–St. Elias), nps.gov/gaar (Gates of the Arctic), nps.gov/glba (Glacier Bay), nps.gov/grba (Great Basin), nps.gov/voya (Voyageurs), nps.gov/bisc (Biscayne); UNESCO World Heritage List
The economic case for permanently free national parks is made most clearly by Great Smoky Mountains, where 12.2 million visitors in 2024 who paid nothing at the gate generated $2.0 billion in direct spending in surrounding gateway communities like Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Cherokee, and Bryson City. That is a 100:0 ratio of economic return to entrance fee revenue — and it works precisely because the absence of any financial barrier maximizes the volume of visitors who can make spontaneous, budget-friendly day trips. The $2.8 billion total economic impact of the park — including the downstream multiplier effects through local supply chains, employment, and tax revenues — means the Smokies generate more economic activity than many mid-sized American corporations, and they do it as a free public good. New River Gorge, in its first four years as a national park, was already generating $96.5 million in local visitor spending by 2023, and with record 1.8 million visitors in 2024, that number is almost certainly higher today.
Beyond economics, the conservation value locked inside these 21 free parks is incalculable by any standard metric. Redwood National Park protects approximately 45% of the world’s remaining old-growth coast redwood forest — trees that can live for 2,000 years and grow to 380 feet, making them the tallest living things on the planet. Great Basin National Park shelters bristlecone pines over 5,000 years old, organisms that were already ancient when the Egyptian pyramids were being built. Glacier Bay — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — is one of the most intensively studied glacial retreat environments on Earth, providing irreplaceable data for climate science. Biscayne, where 95% of the park is underwater, protects the northernmost coral reef system in the continental United States. Every one of these conservation treasures is accessible to every American family, every day, for free.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
