Celebrate National Parks Week with Free Admission
Every year in April, the National Parks Service celebrates National Parks Week. For this year's celebration -- which runs from Saturday, April 18th through Sunday, April 26th -- 11 California parks will be free to enter on that first Saturday and Sunday as part of opening weekend festivities. The parks include:
- Cabrillo National Monument
- Death Valley National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Lava Beda National Monument
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Pinnacles National Park
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
- Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
- Yosemite National Park
(If you happen to be out of state, the entire list of participating parks around the country can be found here.)
On April 18th, many of the above parks are also participating in Junior Ranger Days, where youngsters will have a chance to learn more about the park and earn a Ranger badge.
For the adults, there is a huge schedule of presentations, commemorations, and demonstrations taking place throughout the parks in conjunction with National Parks Week. Scroll through the massive list to find the one most interesting to you, and plan yourself a day out in America's Best Idea.