WASHINGTON, D.C. – All national parks across the country will waive their entrance fees on Jan. 19 to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“We honor Dr. King and the tremendous impact of his life and teachings on the world,” National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said. “He moved hearts and minds through his words and actions. And his vision continues to inspire us to make positive changes in our communities.”

Fee free conditions

Park visitors are reminded that fee-free designation applies to entrance fees, commercial tour entrance fees, and transportation entrance fees only and does not affect fees for camping, reservations, guided tours, or use of concessions.

A variety of park passes are available for purchase online and in many of the parks, including the Interagency Senior and Annual passes. There are also passes that provide free admission for people with permanent disabilities and active duty military members and their dependents. All the details can be found here.

Visitors who plan to spend time in the parks beyond Jan. 19 will need to pay the regular entrance fee for the remainder of their stay.

Park Service locations relevant to Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The National Park Service invites the public to visit Dr. King’s birthplace, home, church, and grave at Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Georgia; walk in his footsteps on the 54-mile long Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama where he led the 1965 Voting Rights March; and stand where he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Other national parks that commemorate the Civil Rights Movement include Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in  Arkansas, Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Monument in California, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Kansas,Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC.

Several national parks are among the sites nationwide that will sponsor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service volunteer events. Volunteers can help with environmental or maintenance projects taking place at Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania, Homestead National Monument of America in Nebraska, and Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C.

More fee-free days in 2015

In addition to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the National Park Service will waive entrance fees on eight other days in 2015:

• Feb. 14-16 (Presidents’ Day weekend)
• April 18, 19 (opening weekend of National Park Week)
• Aug. 25 (the National Park Service’s 99th birthday)
• Sept. 26 (National Public Lands Day)
• Nov. 11 (Veterans Day)