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yesterday

California Waives Vehicle Day-Use Fees at 200+ State Parks on MLK Day

Funded by the California State Parks Foundation, the move responds to the federal decision to remove MLK Day from the fee-free national parks schedule.

California Governor Gavin Newsom looks on before he speaks at Belvedere Middle School.
In this file photo, Angie Gawlowski, 80, celebrates her birthday with her husband Bob, 76, viewing Desert Sand Verbena, sunflowers, Dune Primrose and other wildflowers off of Henderson County Road on Thursday, March 7, 2024 in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, one of Southern California’s most popular spots for wildflower blooms, received only a third of an inch of rain on Feb. 13, after the longest dry spell – 334 days – since Jan. 7, 1942, said Sicco Rood, facilities and research coordinator for UC Irvine who works at a field station in Anza-Borrego.

Overview

  • More than 200 participating California state parks offered free vehicle day-use entry on Jan. 19, 2026, with costs covered by the California State Parks Foundation.
  • The waiver applies to one passenger vehicle with capacity of nine people or fewer or to one highway-licensed motorcycle per entry.
  • Exemptions remain for off-highway vehicle recreation areas, sites with per-person or tour fees such as Hearst Castle, and partner-operated locations.
  • National parks continued normal entrance fees on MLK Day under the Trump administration’s revised 2026 fee-free calendar.
  • The state action follows federal changes that dropped MLK Day, Juneteenth and National Public Lands Day in favor of dates including Flag Day, as a House bill from Rep. Gabe Amo targets the president’s birthday designation.