Cities

Washington, DC

District of Columbia · Mid-Atlantic

Entry Free to visit

Scale 694K residents

Est. 1790

Season Mar-May, Sep-Oct

Free museums, cherry blossoms in April, and a grid that is easier to walk than it looks.

Getting there

Reagan National (DCA) sits on the Metro. Smithsonian museums are free and most need no ticket, though a few still use timed passes.

Don't miss

National Mall - the two-mile lawn from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol
Lincoln Memorial - west end of the Mall vista, open around the clock
Cherry Blossom Festival - the annual spring event on the Mall

Best time to go

March to May for the blossoms, September to October for cool walking weather. The Mall's park unit alone holds more than 100 monuments.

Nearby

Alexandria Arlington Annapolis

Costs and seasons change

Fees and visitor figures are taken from the National Park Service pages for this park; re-check nps.gov before you book. The planning copy is ours.

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Before you go

Do I need a reservation to visit the big parks?

Not at the time of writing. Yosemite dropped its timed-entry system, Grand Canyon states there is no timed entry, and Yellowstone does not require a vehicle reservation. Acadia is the exception: Cadillac Summit Road needs a $6 vehicle reservation between 20 May and 25 October 2026.

What does the $35 entrance fee actually cover?

One private vehicle and everyone inside it, for the park's stated period: seven days at Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Acadia, one to seven days at Zion. Motorcycles pay $30 and walkers or cyclists pay $20 per person.

Is there a surcharge for international visitors?

Yes. Each park page states that non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an additional $100 each, unless they hold an America the Beautiful annual pass or an annual park pass. It is per person, not per vehicle.