Juneteenth, an official national holiday since 2021, brings with it free admission to all national parks and forests.
It will be one of just seven such days when admission is free at national parks and five days for national forests.
The holiday celebrates the last American slaves to be officially freed. They were freed by Union soldiers in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued.
In Southern California, participating National Park Service locations include Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Channel Islands, Cabrillo National Monument, Yosemite and many more.
For those who can’t make it to national parks on Juneteenth, free access will be available on three more days this year: Aug. 4, Sep. 27 and Nov. 11.
Land managed by the U.S. Forest Service will also offer free entry on the last two of these three days.
Other fees for parking, tours and the like will still apply.
If California residents prefer to visit state parks, they can get in for free via a pass available at any library that grants free access to more than 200 parks every day of the year.
