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Grand Canyon is Free to Visit on MLK Jr Day

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To commemorate both the birthday of the late great civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, Grand Canyon National Park is offering visitors free admission on Monday, January 18, the official national holiday in honor of King. This is one of 16 free-admission days established by the NPS for 2016. The other free days include the following:

• April 16–24, National Park Week
• August 25–28, National Park Service Birthday
• September 24, National Public Lands Day
• November 11, Veterans Day.

The free days are a substantial monetary advantage for Grand Canyon visitors, who normally have to pay $30 per vehicle or $15 per person traveling by foot, bicycle, shuttle bus, park rail, or private raft. The only individuals who normally have free access to the park all year round are active-duty members of the U.S. military.

Grand Canyon National Park is among the 127 parks in the NPS system that charge admission fees. More than 250 other parks in the system are always free to enter. The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular parks operated by the NPS, with the Grand Canyon West/Skywalk attraction drawing more than 1 million visitors in 2015.