On MLK Jr. Day, Visit National Parks Near Clear Lake For Free

CLEAR LAKE, TX — Often viewed as a federal holiday or a day to give back to communities, Martin Luther King Jr. Day also offers something special to those hoping to spend a day outdoors in Texas in 2022.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the next chance residents will have to pay a free visit to national parks in Texas that normally charge entrance fees.

The holiday is one of the several opportunities each year to visit national parks for free. The entrance fee waiver does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation or special tours.

Some of the closest national parks to Clear Lake include Big Thicket National Preserve near Kountze in southeast Texas, Waco Mammoth National Monument, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and Padre Island National Seashore in Corpus Christi.

The National Park Service lists online all parks requiring entrance fees and the amount of the fees. Entrance fees will be waived at the following Texas parks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

• Big Bend National Park (1 Panther Junction, Big Bend National Park, open 24 hours)
• Padre Island National Seashore (20420 Park Road 22, Corpus Christi, open 24 hours)
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park (400 Pine Canyon, Salt Flat, Texas, open 24 hours)

Other fee-free days in 2022 are:

• April 16: First day of National Park Week
• Aug. 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
• Sept. 24: National Public Lands Day
• Nov. 11: Veterans Day

Fort Davis National Historic Site in west Texas will be closed for MLK Jr. Day.

See the full list of national parks in Texas. Many parks are free year-round.