The National Park Service (NPS) will waive entrance fees at all national parks on Tuesday, Oct. 27, marking the birthday of Theodore Roosevelt.

The free admission day covers every NPS site that charges an entrance fee, as WUSA9 first reported. For D.C. residents, that includes the National Mall and Memorial Parks. Theodore Roosevelt Island, the wooded memorial along the Potomac, is already free year-round, according to the NPS.

There is a catch. Free entrance applies only to U.S. citizens and residents, according to the NPS entrance passes page. Nonresidents must still pay regular entrance fees and any applicable nonresident fees.

Other charges also still apply. Visitors may face fees for campgrounds, tours, concessions, parking or special-use permits, the park service said. At the Washington Monument, timed-entry tickets are still required. Same-day walk-up tickets are free and available starting at 8:45 a.m. at the Washington Monument Lodge on 15th Street Northwest, on a first-come, first-served basis. One person age 16 or older can request up to six tickets. Advance reservations through recreation.gov carry a nonrefundable $1 service fee per ticket.

Roosevelt served as the 26th president from 1901 to 1909. He established roughly 230 million acres of public lands during his presidency, including five national parks, 18 national monuments and 150 national forests, the Fresno Bee reported, citing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He signed the Antiquities Act in 1906, giving presidents the power to designate national monuments on federal land.

The Oct. 27 fee-free day is the seventh of eight the NPS scheduled in 2026. The final one falls on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

Also on the D.C. calendar: the lottery for the 2026 National Christmas Tree Lighting opens Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 10 a.m. and closes Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 3 p.m., WJLA reported. The ceremony is set for Dec. 3 at the White House and President's Park. Winners may receive up to five free tickets.

Upcoming community dates

  • Tuesday, Oct. 27 — Free NPS entrance day (Theodore Roosevelt's birthday)
  • Wednesday, Oct. 28 — National Christmas Tree Lighting lottery opens at 10 a.m.
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3 — Christmas Tree Lighting lottery closes at 3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11 — Free NPS entrance day (Veterans Day)