After 15 years as a fee-free entrance day to national parks, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been removed from the list of federal holidays offering free access beginning Jan. 19. The change, made by the National Park Service, marks a notable shift in how NPS designates its no-cost days, and raises questions about equity, access and the politicization of public lands. One free-access day that was added? President Donald Trump’s birthday. This story also appeared in Mountain Journal Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday in 1983 and is observed on the third Monday of January. It was added to the NPS fee-free calendar in 2011 and appeared consistently each year until now. Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19 each year to commemorate the end of slavery, has also been eliminated from the national parks’ free-entry calendar. It was first designated as fee-free in 2024, retained for 2025 and has now been dropped entirely for 2026. Both Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth currently remain federal holidays.  “A national park is a meaningful place to remember and honor Dr. King, whether one participates in a day of service or visits a site with a direct connection to the man who moved hearts and minds in the struggle for civil rights and equality,” Michael T. Reynolds, deputy director of NPS, said in a 2018 statement. According to NPS, many national parks have traditionally hosted service and volunteer projects on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “This is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities,” the NPS webpage reads.  Gerry James, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Outdoors For All campaign, told Mountain Journal that removing free entry to national parks on these federal holidays is a step backward at a time when we should be expanding opportunities for everyone to connect to public lands.  “MLK Day has always been more than a federal holiday,” James said. “It’s a national day of service honoring a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement. The holiday traditionally includes opportunities to participate in volunteer projects and programs — including participation by past presidents.“Designating these days as fee-free days in national parks signaled that these spaces, which have not always felt welcoming to all communities, are places for everyone to experience respite and connection, and to take in the country’s complex shared history. The removal of these days aligns with Trump administration actions around its executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” —with the goal of turning back progress that acknowledges the diverse and complex shared history of our country.”  In place of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, the Trump Administration has added several new fee-free dates. Beginning Jan. 1 of this year, visitors will be able to enter national parks without paying entrance fees on Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Constitution Day, and Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday. The agency also expanded free access around Independence Day, designating a multi-day fee-free weekend, and added Aug. 25 to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the National Park Service. Another newly designated fee-free date is Flag Day, which falls on June 14. That day is also President Donald Trump’s birthday. Emily Douce, deputy vice president of Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Alliance, told Mountain Journal that while fees are an important part of keeping national parks safe, clean and a positive experience for visitors, those visitors, and the parks themselves, pay the price. “It’s disheartening that the administration has modified fee-free days to focus on more patriotic days instead of public land and public service days like MLK Jr. Day.” She noted that every administration “tweaks” the national park fee-free days, but that this administration’s approach is different.  Douce said extending multiple fee-free days across the Fourth of July holiday period will have a negative effect on parks. “It’s a very busy time for our national parks and they are going to take a big hit,” she said. “It’s troubling to see that they continue to make what seem to come across as not well-thought-out plans.” Historically, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has inspired thousands of volunteers to visit the parks for a day of service. Now they will have to pay a fee to pick up trash or clear trails. “It discourages people from doing service on our public lands,” Douce said. “And we definitely depend on volunteers to make sure parks are in good shape and welcoming to everyone.” Fee-free days have always applied to all visitors, regardless of citizenship or residency status. That policy is also changing for 2026. Free entrance days will now be limited to United States citizens and legal residents only. International visitors will be required to pay standard entrance fees on those days, just as they would on any other date. By executive order, that fee also increased for international travelers. In the 11 most-visited national parks including Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, and Grand Canyon, international visitors will face an additional $100 surcharge per person, on top of regular entrance fees.  The post No more free entry to national parks on MLK Day appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less