5 Free National Parks to Visit

Yellowstone (est. 1872) was America’s First National Park, while New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia is the newest addition (est. 2020). Mike and I first visited Yellowstone over a decade ago when we were conveniently living just hours from the entrance in Idaho. We loved seeing all the bison while driving the Grand Loop. A few years ago, we visited the newest park while on a roadtrip which conveniently took us through the area. We enjoyed the beautiful overlooks of the Appalachian mountains. There are so many wonderful options no matter where you live.

Planning your annual vacation around one of the 63 national parks (there are 424 national park sites) makes for a great budget friendly trip. Vacations today can be super costly with the high price of hotels, gas, flights, restaurants, and attractions. You can easily save yourself hundreds of dollars (and also get in plenty of exercise and fresh air) by centering your vacation plans around one of these parks. While most charge an entrance fee around $25-30, a few have no fees. We had the privilege of visiting a handful of these during our travels.

Exploring the great outdoors is a wonderful way to stay active, connect with nature, as well as take a much needed break from technology. Whether you prefer hiking, biking, horseback riding, picnicking, or scenic drives, you can find it all and more within America’s wonderful National Park system. From the East to the West coast, here are a few of my favorites with offer free admission all year long! You don’t have to wait for a free day to explore beautiful nature.

1. Cuyahoga Valley

• Location: Ohio
• Nearby city: Cleveland
• Est. Date: 1974

This gem is located in Ohio about 30 minutes outside of Cleveland. It’s super easy to access whether you live in, are visiting, or traveling through the city. While living in the metro, Mike and I hiked here frequently during the summer and fall season. It’s a really beautiful underrated place, and an a side note, I am really impressed by all the gorgeous nature surrounding this city. What a gem to have so many trails so close to a major city!

Because of the easy access, it is one of America’s most visited Parks with over 2.2 million tourists per year. There are over 125 miles of hiking trails to explore here, with fall being the prime time to enjoy the cool temps and vivid foliage. Summer is the best time of the year in my experience to take a bike ride along the Towpath trail which runs through the park.

My recommended activities:

Hiking to Brandywine Falls – A gorgeous 60 foot waterfall accessible via a moderate hike of just 1.5 miles. There is also a shorter boardwalk trail (under a half mile) for those who can’t tolerate a longer hike.

Biking the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath trail – A 20 mile section of this 100+ mile long beautiful trail passes through this park. They also offer this wonderful program called the Explorer where you can bike or walk a portion of this trail and take a discounted train ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad back to wherever you started. There are numerous train stations along the route so you can bike as long or short as you want.

Hiking to Blue Hen Falls – A moderately steep trek to a gorgeous 20 foot waterfall. This hike is harder than Brandywine, but also less crowded. If you are up for a challenge and want to avoid the crowds, I definitely recommend this one.

Enjoying a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad – Relax and take in scenes of the Cuyahoga River on this peaceful ride. They offer a variety of routes plus seasonal events.

I recommend reading more about Cuyahoga activities in my detailed guide. Do not vacation to Cleveland without taking some time to explore one of the most underrated parks!

2. Great Smokies

• Location: Tennessee/North Carolina
• Nearby city: Gatlinburg
• Est date: 1934

Update: While admission is still free, they now charge $5 daily fee for parking. Not too bad considering the steep entrance prices elsewhere.

Located in the beautiful & biodiverse Appalachian mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, and offering habitat to a wide range of plants, birds, and wildlife, it’s no wonder that Americans have made the Smokies the top national park in the country.

This park sees over 12 million visitors a year due to its’ close proximity to so many major cities in the south. Gorgeous waterfalls, ample wildlife watching, scenic mountain vistas, and easy access to family-friendly attractions have made this park one of the South’s top vacation destinations.

We took many daytrips here while living in Asheville. Although this park is really congested vs. others I’ve visited, I really love the beautiful mountain scenery. Plus, there are tons of touristy activities and beautiful cabin rentals in nearby Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Timber Tops offers an amazing variety of cabins. Some feature great secluded mountain views and extra perks like hot tubs and game rooms.

My top things to do:

See Laurel Falls – Beautiful 80 foot waterfall accessible via a moderate 1.3 mile paved trail. This is my favorite easy waterfall hike in the region. It’s the only paved trail. It’s also the only place I’ve ever seen a bear while hiking!

Drive the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail – Rustic 5 mile drive through the park featuring access to creeks, waterfalls, and historic sites. This is a gorgeous slow drive that can easily be turned into a half day of sightseeing/hiking.

Enjoy the views from Clingman’s Dome – You can take a short walk to the highest point in the Smokies (6643 feet). A moderate paved trail of just 0.5 miles lead you to this breathtaking summit.

Wildlife watching – Many black bears live here. It fact, it is home to the highest concentration in the US. With a population of 1900+, it’s not rare to see a bear in action on a trail. Check out the bear that walked right in front of us in the photo below! Note: Keep your distance always! We saw a lot of not -so-smart tourists getting way too close.

Check out more of my top recommended Smokies activities. There’s lots to do if you are staying in Gatlinburg including: themed restaurants, cheesy attractions like Hillbilly mini golf, rustic cabin rentals, wine tastings, gondola rides, and so much more.

One activity I highly recommend for first time visitors is Skybridge, one of the park’s newer attractions. For this attraction, you get to walk across the longest pedestrian bridge for an awesome view of the Smokies. The included chairlift ride up is pretty fun too!

3. Congaree National Park

• Location: South Carolina
• Nearby city: Columbia or Greenville (recommended)
• Est. Date: 2003

This hidden gem is located in central South Carolina, about 18 miles outside of Columbia. While it’s not one of the most visited or exciting options, it’s worthy of checking off your bucket list if you are vacationing to nearby cities like Greenville or Charleston.

We have this cute NPS magnet board where we check off every park we visited so we are trying to see them all. You can also get a NPS Passport booklet and stamp each parks as you visit them which is pretty cool. It definitely motivates us to explore more!

I never even heard of this park until I moved to Greenville. It’s a really easy daytrip from the Upstate. Most notably, this park features the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the Southeast.

An easy stroll along a boardwalk trail will enable you to see many of these trees, as well as all sorts of unique birds and wildlife. I recommend making Greeneville your base as there is a bautiful old-fashioned downtown here with a stunning waterfall as the centerpiece. Plus, I love all the local coffeehouses and restaurants. It’s one of my favorite cities in the Southeast.

What to do:

Hike alongside Champion trees on the boardwalk trail – The tallest of 15 tree species reside within the park. The tallest loblolly pine comes in at 169 feet! Learn more at the visitor’s center. You can see these along the easy 2.6 mile boardwalk path.

Wildlife Watch – This park is home to an amazing variety of wildlife including: coyotes, bobcats, armadillos, and alligators.

View Ancient cypress trees – You will see these throughout the park. Many are 500-700 years old.

See Synchronous fireflies – For 2 weeks between mid May-June visitors can see thousands of fireflies flashing during mating season.

If you are into nature and hiking, I highly recommend exploring the Upstate region while you are in the vicinity. I was shocked at how many gorgeous waterfalls and state parks I had never heard of are located in this beautiful mountainous area of the state.

4. Redwood National and State Parks

• Location: Northern California
• Nearby city: Willits or Klamath
• Est. Date: 1968

The redwoods trees are amongst the most majestic trees on earth. They are the tallest trees and can grow upwards of 300 feet. Currently, the world’s tallest tree is Hyperion (height 380 ft), residing in Humboldt County.

According to the NPS, most of these ancient coastal redwoods live to be 800-1500 years old with the sturdiest lasting 2000 years! We had the opportunity to visit some of these redwood sites a few years ago when we drove the beautiful PCH/Hwy 101.

What to do in the region:

Take a scenic drive – If you prefer to keep the exercise to a minimum, a picturesque drive is your best bet to take in these beauties. Check out the 9 mile Coastal Loop for starters.

Visit “The Big Tree” – This is an easy walk to old growth redwoods in Prairie Creek State Park.

Plan a few hours at the Trees of Mystery – We love visiting all these oddball road stops when traveling. It helps to break up a long drive, plus it’s fun to see something old-fashioned and weird in our world of common chains and HOA’s today. You can explore the trees via interpretive trails and also take a scenic gondola ride. Check out my guide to visiting this quirky gem.

Explore Humboldt Redwoods State Park – Great destination for hiking, picnicking, biking, & more. Most known for Avenue of the Giants, a 32 mile scenic drive featuring towering redwoods. You can learn more about park activities on the park’s webpage.

5. New River Gorge National Park

• Location: West Virginia
• Nearby city: Beckley
• Est Date: 2020

America’s newest addition, New River Gorge, was established in 2020. It is also one of the few fee-free options. If you find yourself visiting or even traveling through West Virginia, I highly recommend stopping, if anything just to enjoy some terrific mountain vistas from the overlook.

The beautiful Appalachian mountains create a picture-perfect background for your activity of choice, weather that be hiking, biking, rafting, or simply sightseeing. I really enjoyed the densely forested hiking trails and magnificent overlooks here. It was a great stop after a lot of driving.

Park activities:

Whitewater rafting – Premier rafting (Class III-IV+) on one of the oldest rivers in the world.

New River Gorge Scenic Drive – 83 mile drive featuring grand views of the river and gorge.

Hiking trails – You can pick from over 100 miles. Trails range from easy to hard and feature a rustic setting, perfect for getting lost in nature. A few of the shorter trails lead you to waterfalls. There are lots of cool rock formations to explore along the way.

Scenic overlooks – The main overlook at Grandview (1400 ft above the river) offers outstanding views of the mountains.

And, while not technically a park, the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of 400+ national park sites. It is free to enjoy, absolutely gorgeous during every season, and loaded to the brim with amazing views. There are numerous attractions along the route including: A Folk Art museum, one of the best arboretums I’ve ever visited, and breathtaking waterfall trails.

We lived in both Asheville/Upstate SC for several years, so we got to do a lot of exploring in this area. I love all the gorgeous waterfalls, hiking trails, and scenic overlooks. Even just driving a small portion of the route during the green summer and colorful fall season is a great day out.

5. Blue Ridge Parkway

• Location: North Carolina/Virginia
• Nearby city: Asheville
• Est. Date: 1966 (partial), Completed in 1983

469 miles of scenic beauty line“America’s Favorite Drive,” as it winds its’ way through 29 counties in Virginia and North Carolina. Linking Shenandoah and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the mountainous terrain is awe-inspiring every mile in-between.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is easily one of the most picturesque drives in the country. Whether you feel like driving just a small portion, or the entire route, this peaceful drive will never disappoint. We barely planned any trips outside of North Carolina while living in this region because we were here every weekend exploring. This is easily one of my favorite areas to explore.

My recommended hikes and attractions:

Also be sure to check out the list of fee-free dates throughout the year (there are quite a few). Everyone receives admission for free during National Park Week, held annually in April. A few parks I recommend taking advantage of during this time include: Saguaro in Tucson, The Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona, and Zion in Utah.

2026 Freebies:

• February 16: President’s Day
• May 25: Memorial Day
• June 14: Flag Day/Trump BDay
• July 3–5: Independence Day Weekend
• August 25: 110th Birthday of the NPS
• September 17: Constitution Day
• October 27: Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthday
• November 11: Veterans Day