Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced that California State Parks will likely be free to enter on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day vacation on Monday, after the Trump administration ordered nationwide parks to cost entry charges that day.
Newsom’s announcement comes because the nation approaches the one centesimal anniversary of Black Historical past Month, and after the U.S. Nationwide Park Service eliminated each Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from its checklist of fee-free entrance days.
“Dr. King taught us that ‘darkness can not drive out darkness; solely mild can do this.’ Whereas the Trump administration tries to erase his legacy and switch nationwide parks and monuments into locations of exclusion and worry, California solutions with mild,” Newsom mentioned in a media assertion.
In accordance with the governor’s workplace, entry will likely be free at over 200 state parks, which will be discovered right here.
Some California parks, together with state vehicular recreation areas (off-highway automobile parks), these with tour or per-person entry charges like Hearst Fort and people run by accomplice organizations will nonetheless want a charge.
In November, the Trump administration introduced it was altering some guidelines round Nationwide Park entry in 2026, together with the times that had been free to enter, and an elevated charges for foreign-travelers as a part of an “America-first” coverage.
The company additionally added Flag Day, which is Trump’s birthday, as a free entry day.
“These insurance policies make sure that U.S. taxpayers, who already assist the Nationwide Park System, proceed to get pleasure from inexpensive entry, whereas worldwide guests contribute their fair proportion to sustaining and bettering our parks for future generations,” the administration mentioned within the announcement.
