This year, the NPS will be waive fees on August 4, the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act. In celebration of the National Park Service’s 106th birthday, all National Park Service units (Parks, Monuments, Historic Sites) will be open to the public for FREE on Thursday, August 25. This includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. The nearest to the metro area is splendid Rocky Mountain National Park between Estes Park and Grand Lake.
IMPORTANT: You still MUST reserve a timed entry in advance here for RMNP. When you select August 25, it will note this is an “Entrance Fee Free Day”
Reservations for August will open on Friday, July 1.
Reservations are not required if you enter the park very early in the morning or after 6 p.m.
More details about the reservation system can be found here.
Before heading to any national park, monument or historic site, check its website first to learn its current entrance procedures, as many are operating with a similar reservation system. Also, even though you get free entry, other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included.