Visitors to fee-charging national parks across the United States will be admitted free on Tuesday, October 27, as the National Park Service marks the birthday of former president Theodore Roosevelt.
The fee-free day will apply to US citizens and residents at participating sites, including some of the country’s best-known parks. International visitors will still be required to pay the usual entrance fee, including any applicable non-resident charges. ([nps.gov](https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/event-details.htm?id=5C33BBCE-91BC-E8E1-417C9AB3577C791E))
Other costs will remain in place. The National Park Service has said that camping, reservations, timed-entry tickets, permits and some transport or parking charges may still apply, even when entrance fees are waived. ([nps.gov](https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/presidents-day-2026.htm))
Why national parks are free on Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday
Theodore Roosevelt, who became America’s 26th president in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley, is remembered by the National Park Service as the country’s “conservation president”. He served from 1901 to 1909 and made the protection of public land a central part of his administration.
During his presidency, Roosevelt helped establish five national parks, 18 national monuments, 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves and four national game preserves, protecting roughly 230 million acres of public land, according to the National Park Service.
The parks created during his time in office included Crater Lake in Oregon, Wind Cave in South Dakota and Mesa Verde in Colorado. He also expanded federal protection for Yosemite in California and designated landmarks including the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Muir Woods and Devils Tower as national monuments. ([nps.gov](https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/theodore-roosevelt-biography.htm?ya_src=serp300&utm_source=openai))
The National Park Service itself was created in 1916 under president Woodrow Wilson, seven years after Roosevelt left office. By then, a network of protected sites had already been established, with Roosevelt responsible for many of the areas that would later come under the service’s management.
Tuesday’s event is one of eight fee-free occasions listed by the National Park Service for 2026. The programme has also included Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day weekend, the National Park Service’s anniversary and Constitution Day.
The final fee-free date of the year will be Veterans Day on November 11. The National Park Service is advising visitors to check individual park conditions and entry requirements before travelling.
