News Release

Olympic National Park announces entrance fee-free days for 2023

Olympic National Park provides a premier destination to experience the diverse ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. Here, a visitor walks on the national park's Maple Glade Trail.

NPS Photo / R. McKenna

News Release Date: December 12, 2022

Contact: Olympic National Park Public Affairs Office

PORT ANGELES, Wash. – Olympic National Park will have five entrance fee-free days in 2023. On those days of commemoration or celebration, all National Park Service entrance fees throughout the country will be waived for all visitors.

The free entrance dates for 2023 are:

• January 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• April 22 - First Day of National Park Week
• August 4 - Great American Outdoors Day
• September 23 - National Public Lands Day
• November 11 - Veterans Day

"National parks are really amazing places and we want everyone to experience them," said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. "The entrance fee-free days encourage people to discover the beauty, history and inspiration awaiting them in more than 400 national parks throughout the country."

Olympic National Park is a premier destination to experience the diverse ecosystems and natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest. From the Olympic Mountains to the Hoh Rain Forest to the Pacific Coast, visitors can see spectacular scenery and engage in recreational opportunities like hiking, fishing, and tidepooling. Learn more about visiting Olympic National Park at www.nps.gov/olym and download the NPS app to start planning your visit.

The fee waiver for the fee-free days applies only to the National Park Service entrance fees and does not cover amenity or user fees for camping, boat launches, transportation, special tours, or other activities, such as wilderness camping.

Fees are normally required to enter all areas of Olympic National Park. Visitors can purchase a $55 Olympic Annual Pass to waive fees for 12 months. Learn more about fees and passes at Olympic National Park here. There is also an $80 America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass that provides unlimited access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including all national parks, for the passholder and companions accompanying them. In addition, there are free or discounted passes available for currently serving members of the U.S. military and their dependents.

The money collected from entrance fees stays in the National Park Service, with Olympic National Park retaining 80-100% of the funds collected here. The funds are used to enhance the visitor experience by providing programs and services, habitat restoration, and infrastructure maintenance and repair.

In 2021, 2.7 million people visited Olympic National Park and spent $250 million in local communities. This supported 2,710 jobs and had a $352 million benefit to the economy.

Other federal land management agencies offering their own fee-free days in 2023 are the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.