Marietta DJ: Cobb Rep Wilkerson to propose free admission to all state parks on federal holidays

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Rep. Wilkerson proposes fee-free state parks on all recognized federal holidays

• By Isabelle Manders iman...@mdjonline.com

 

State Rep. David Wilkerson, D-Powder Springs, is introducing legislation to make Georgia’s state parks free on any federal holiday recognized by the state, in response to recent changes to the National Park System from the Trump administration.

Wilkerson said the bill was “pretty straightforward,” in fact it was “one of the shortest” he’d ever written or seen.

He called it “a way of giving back,” citing upcoming increases in park fees across the state.

 

The Georgia Board of Natural Resources recently voted in favor of a plan that would double the daily per vehicle fee from $5 to $10 and increase the annual pass from $50 to $70.

“If you’re increasing the price, it’s going to make it harder for people to go anyway,” Wilkerson said. “So why not just have one day that taxpayers can enjoy the parks that they pay for.”

The state of Georgia will observe 11 federal holidays in 2026, including Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, both of which the Trump administration announced it would be dropping from its calendar of fee-free entrance days in 2026.

 

The new calendar also removed the first day of National Park Week, the Bureau of Land Management’s birthday, Great American Outdoors Day, National Public Lands Day and the first Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week.

 

Instead, 2026 national park visitors will receive free admission on Flag Day — also the president’s birthday — as well as Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July weekend, the 110th birthday of the National Park Service, Constitution Day and former President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday.

Veterans Day will continue to be a fee-free holiday next year.

The Department of Interior also unveiled new graphics for annual national park passes — one of which features Trump’s face alongside George Washington — and announced the implementation of “America-first entree fee policies.”

 

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the annual pass will cost $80 for U.S. residents and $250 for nonresidents. Nonresidents without an annual pass will pay a fee of $100 per person to enter 11 of the most visited national parks, in addition to the standard entrance fee.

When asked what he thought of the new fee-free calendar, Wilkerson said: “Add it to the list.”

“I think the president is doing whatever he can to drive people apart,” he said. “Whatever chaos he can cause he’s doing, so this (bill) is just a way of saying, ‘Let’s focus on Georgia and see what we can do for people that’s not divisive.’”

He noted many people are just “dizzy from the chaos.”

 

“It’s too hard to get mad about one thing because the next day is going to bring something else that causes shock,” Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson said having legislation tied to federal holidays would “take the politics out of it.”

“So unless they change federal holidays, you will know exactly when the days are free,” he said. “The students can go, the people can go with their families. They can get out and enjoy the outdoors, which, also, has an added health benefit as well.”

Wilkerson’s proposal would only cover state parks, as state lawmakers don’t have control over federal parks.