The US National Park Service (NPS) is removing Martin Luther King Jr Day and Juneteenth from its list of fee-free entrance days.
The move is part of President Donald Trump’s “modernisation” of the park service, which, beginning in 2026, also includes changing the parks’ cost structure to favour American citizens over foreign visitors, following a July executive order from Trump.
In addition to removing the two holidays that celebrate civil rights leader MLK Jr and the end of slavery in the US, the agency is adding Flag Day, which is also Trump’s birthday, as a “patriotic” fee-free day.
People who are not US citizens will still have to pay fees on the fee-free dates, the NPS said.
For the 2026 calendar year, US residents will be granted free access to national parks on President’s Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday, Independence Day weekend, 110th Birthday of the National Park Service, Constitution Day, Theodore Roo
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