White Sands National Park. Photo: Andrea Jacquin
Each year, the National Park Service offers FREE entrance for all visitors on some specialty days. This year, the following days are FREE…
August 4th: National Park Service Birthday
September 24th: National Public Lands Day
November 11th: Veterans Day
New Mexico is home to 15 national parks, according to the National Park Service.
Many of them charge no entrance fee.
Here are the six parks that normally charge and that you’ll be able to visit for FREE in New Mexico on those dates:
Bandelier National Monument — This national monument has cliff dwellings and petroglyphs to explore just west of Santa Fe. Visitors can wander through the ancestral lands that were once home to 23 different tribal nations between the twelfth and sixteenth century.
Capulin Volcano National Monument — We have volcanic fields right here in New Mexico with amazing views. Visitors can take the road that spirals around the extinct volcano. How’s that for a joy ride?
Carlsbad Caverns National Park — Visit Carlsbad and learn the difference between stalactites and stalagmites at this UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has some of the deepest caves in the country. The park was recognized as a national park in 1930.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park — Travel to Nageezi, New Mexico, to explore ancestral pueblo buildings that date back between 850 and 1250 A.D. The buildings are an impressive engineering feat at this world heritage site.
Valles Caldera National Preserve — 1.2 million years ago a volcanic eruption created this Caldera’s unique landscape. Visitors can enjoy mountain meadows, wildlife and streams. The site is a great example of a true, volcanic caldera.
White Sands National Park — Gypsum crystals make these beach like sand dunes fun to explore and play in. Visitors can enjoy 275 square miles of white desert dunes. Bring wax for your sled or buy it at the visitors center if you plan on sledding down the sand dunes. White Sands is one of country’s newer national parks. It was designated in 2019.
Visit the National Park Service for more information.
