Canada is offering free admission to the country’s national parks this summer between June 19 and September 7. In this time frame, all admission fees will be waived for all travelers. This includes national parks and national marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada, as per their official webpage.
The program also includes 25% discounts on fees for camping and overnight stays during this period. This means those who are hoping to camp, RV, or stay at local cabins and tipis can save money by booking their reservation through Parks Canada.
So if you’re hoping to dodge the dense fees this summer, head to beautiful destinations like Alberta’s Jasper National Park. According to Travel + Leisure, this park was rated the best to visit in Canada, being the second largest in the Canadian Rockies and home to the world’s second largest dark sky preserve. T+L reports the park offers an “extensive trail network and the chance to spot wildlife like black and grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and more.” The outlet also recommends Banff National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park.
This is not Canada’s first time offering this program. It was first launched in 2025 as an effort to boost domestic tourism. Apparently, the initiative worked. According to SFGate, Parks Canada saw a 13% increase in visitation last summer, compared to figures from 2023. In total, the parks saw 14.5 million visitors.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has seen a significant decrease in tourism from Canadian travelers. According to CBS, phone data reveals Canadian visits to the U.S. dropped by 42% in 2025, suggesting Canadians have been encouraged to travel more domestically or direct their tourism elsewhere.
