National Park free days announced
National Parks Service sites will be open for free this weekend to mark Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. The free days from Jan. 14 to Jan. 16 are just the first of several days this year when admission fees will be waived.
Fees vary at various National Park Service staffed sites. For example, the fee for entering Yosemite National Park is usually $20. More than 397 sites are always free, according to the Park Service
Other free dates this year will include:
April 21-29 for National Park Week
June 9 for Get Outdoors Day
Sept. 29 for National Public Lands Day
Nov. 10-12 for Veteran's Day.
In addition to giving visitors a chance to see the parks for free during tough economic times, the move will hopefully spur tourism in surrounding communities.
"These free days are a great time to explore Yosemite, and the surrounding gateway region," said Jarrod Lyman with the Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau said in an e-mail. "The entry fee isn't much, but when you're on a budget every bit of savings helps, and gives you more money for additional fun."
For more information, go to the National Park Service website at nps.gov.
The National Park Service is also working with the National Park Hospitality Association, a group of over 100 concessionaires and other businesses, to offer special discounts to those visiting parks this year. For a full list of deals, go to www.parkpartners.org/. As of Jan. 6, the website had not been updated to include 2012 deals, so check back regularly.
