Free entry at Washington’s national parks this Saturday

Mount Rainier (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)

People can visit Washington’s three national parks — Mount Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades — for free this Saturday, Sept. 28 in recognition of National Public Lands Day.

The annual event is meant to encourage volunteer participation in the country’s national parks. The National Park Service is celebrating the day by offering free admission to every park across the country.

Usually, a one-day vehicle permit to enter the state’s national parks costs $30 — with the exception of North Cascades, which is always fee-free. The National Park Service offers six free park days throughout the year.

Residents and visitors who volunteer on National Public Lands Day will receive a free national park one-day pass to any national park site.

According to the National Park Service, the annual event has been the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort since 1994. Last year, over 130 national parks hosted events with 7,600 volunteers providing 41,500 hours of service.

Mount Rainier has seen at least 1.4 million visits this year, as of a preliminary August 2024 report. Olympic has seen about 600,000 visits since March 2024 — t he most recent data available — and North Cascades saw far fewer at about 13,000 visits since August 2024.

As of early September, visitors to Mount Rainier no longer need a reservation to enter the popular national park.