National Parks Entrance-Free Days 2026

Here in the Richmond area we have numerous National Park sites and many more within driving distance. The fee waiver is a great excuse to make a day trip to these educational, historical and often naturally beautiful places.

Blue Ridge Parkway / Photo credit: National Park Service

Which of these nearby National Parks in Virginia will you explore?

•The Appalachian Trail is a 2,180+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.

•The Appomattox Court House is a self guided experience focusing on 1865.

•The Blue Ridge Parkway experience is unlike any other: a slow-paced and relaxing drive revealing stunning long-range vistas and close-up views of the rugged mountains and pastoral landscapes of the Appalachian Highlands. The Parkway meanders for 469 miles, protecting a diversity of plants and animals, and providing opportunities for enjoying all that makes this region of the country so special.

•Maggie Lena Walker devoted her life to civil rights advancement, economic empowerment, and educational opportunities for Jim Crow-era African Americans and women. As a bank president, newspaper editor, and fraternal leader, Walker served as an inspiration of pride and progress. Today, Walker’s home in Richmond is preserved as a tribute to her enduring legacy of vision, courage, and determination.

•Yorktown Battlefield Discover what it took for the United States to be independent as you explore the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Here at Yorktown, in the fall of 1781, General George Washington, with allied American and French forces, besieged General Charles Lord Cornwallis’s British army.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

February 16: Presidents Day
May 25: Memorial Day.
June 14: Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday.
July 3–5: Independence Day weekend.
August 25: 110th Birthday of the National Park Service.
September 17: Constitution Day.

Of course, if you have a 4th grader, you can go to National Parks for free you want by signing your child up for the Every Kid Outdoors program. The pass admits all children under 16 and up to three adults for free.

Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm

Love the outdoors? Check out Richmond on the Cheap’s ultimate list of Richmond-area parks and playgrounds.