New Park Policy Makes Trump’s Birthday A Free Day, Drops Civil Rights Holidays
Free access to America’s National Parks is shifting under a new policy that prioritizes President Donald Trump’s birthday over long-held federal observances honoring civil rights and Black history.
The National Park Service’s updated 2026 free-entry calendar adds June 14, a date that marks both Flag Day and Trump’s birthday, while eliminating free admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. Veterans Day is the only date carried over from the previous annual list.
The changes, first reported through updated NPS records and archived web pages, reflect a broader recalibration of which national moments merit public access without cost.
The revised calendar was released Nov. 25 alongside new price increases for international tourists. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum described the higher fees for foreign visitors as “America-first pricing,” part of a shift that reserves free-day benefits exclusively for U.S. citizens and residents beginning next year.
As a result, nonresidents will pay regular entrance fees plus newly outlined nonresident charges, even on designated free days. Americans will retain no-cost access only on the smaller, newly configured list of holidays centered on patriotic themes rather than traditional civil rights commemorations.
