How To Visit Texas National Parks For Free In 2024

Texas is loaded with some amazing and beautiful national parks. As you plan your 2024 travels, you should know when you can visit them for free.

There rare actually many places you can visit in Texas, and across the country, for free in 2024 including beaches, national monuments, historic sites and lots more.

Not only are there a number of opportunities to tour places for free in and outside of Texas, a couple of the Texas parks are in or very close to El Paso.

Only about 25% of the USA's national parks charge entry fees but those that do can add up. Especially for a family when it's $20 a head and driving in can run $35 per vehicle.

The cash stays with the parks to maintain them but the fees puts them out of reach of some families which is why there are a few free days every year.

"National parks are places that awaken senses, inspire curiosity, encourage reflection, and foster joy,"  National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a statement. "The entrance fee-free days expand opportunities for people to visit their national parks and experience the beauty and history of our country." - usatoday 

This year, you can pop into parks all over the country, fee of charge, on the following days:

• January 15: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• April 20: First day of National Park Week
• June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day
• August 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
• September 28: National Public Lands Day
• November 11: Veterans Day

The closest national parks to El Paso include White Sands National Monument, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Fort Davis National Historic Site, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Hueco Tanks is on the outskirts of El Paso and the Franklin Mountains lie within El Paso but they're both state parks.

State Parks are free on State Park Day and certain people can get passes to enter state parks for free anytime.