Free entry at California’s nine national parks including Yosemite. Find out when
Looking to soak up the great outdoors for the first weekend of fall? California’s national parks are free to enter for National Public Lands Day on Saturday, Sept. 27.
That means visitors can save about $15 to $35 on entrance fees, depending on which park you’re visiting, and as long as you don’t plan to camp or go on any special tours.
The parks will likely be packed amid the waived entrance passes, so it’s a good idea to arrive as early as you possibly can — you might even want to plan to arrive at dawn, the Orange County Register reported.
“It will be cooler and the crowds will still be waking up,” the outlet said. “When the park starts getting crowded, you can take a break and eat your picnic you’ve brought, or head on out. Don’t forget to bring plenty of water.”
Here’s how much you can save on entrance fees at California’s nine national parks:
Which California national parks are free to enter on National Public Lands Day?
“All national parks that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone on September 27, 2025 in celebration of National Public Lands Day,” the park service said.
Of California’s nine proper national parks, seven of them charge entrance fees, but certain areas may also require some cost to access. The state offers several national monuments outside of the official parks as well.
- Channel Islands: There’s never an entrance fee to visit any of the four islands that make up the national park, but you will have to book a boat trip to access them for the day. The waived entrance fee for National Public Lands Day does not apply to the boat trips. The park’s official boat concessionaire is the Island Packers ferry, and round trip tickets range from $70 to $124 depending on which island you’re visiting.
- Death Valley: Standard $15-$30 entrance passes are waived.
- Joshua Tree: Standard $15-$30 entrance passes are waived.
- Lassen Volcanic: Standard $10-$30 entrance passes are waived.
- Pinnacles: Standard $15-$30 entrance passes are waived.
- Redwood: Entrance passes are not required to drive scenic roads or highways in the three state parks and the national park, but some day-use areas do have fees. Interagency and state park passes apply to these areas.
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon: Standard $20-$35 entrances passes are waived.
- Yosemite: Standard $20-$35 entrance passes are waived.
This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Free entry at California’s nine national parks including Yosemite. Find out when."
