This Independence Day weekend was supposed to be a showcase moment for America’s national parks. Instead, it is shaping up as a stress test.
The National Park Service is marking the country’s 250th anniversary with hundreds of special programs and commemorations, and the July 3-5 weekend is fee-free for US residents. That combination alone was always going to pack the gates. But this year it is colliding with a park system that has lost roughly a quarter of its permanent staff since January 2025, the removal of timed-entry reservation systems at some of the busiest parks, and a brand-new $100 per-person fee for international visitors that is already slowing down entrance lines.
