The Free National Park Days for 2012
By Rocky Thompson on October 18th, 2011
The National Park Service announced that there will be 17 free days in 2012. Our blog readers who live in other countries are probably very confused by this, so I’ll explain it to them. You see, we have to pay an annual fee to use our National Parks and visit places that have been designated as protected for their natural beauty. No, being a taxpayer doesn’t mean you get to go for free, though if you’re a veteran, you might be eligible for a discount.
So, for the locals, here are the days we can visit fee-free: Jan. 14 to 16 (Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend), April 21 to 29 (National Park Week), June 9 (Get Outdoors Day), Sept. 29 (National Public Lands Day), and Nov. 10 to 12 (Veterans Day weekend).
Tags: National Parks, nps
In comparison to other countries the US entry fees are quite reasonable. Canadian, Australian and New Zealand parks all have steeper fees. Maybe the US fees could be lower, but parks are NOT free in every other country.
Rocky do you just try to get more and more ignorant about outdoor issues every day? It’s starting to feel like your outdoor knowledge is incidental at best. I’m all for sarcasm, but it should have a purpose, and as Asa alludes to, yours doesn’t.
Personally, I’d rather that parks get some funding from people that actually use them. Why should taxpayers, many of whom don’t visit the parks, bear all the burden?
National Parks charge admission when you drive there. Hiking-in is usually free.
I will happily give money to enter the park and would pay more if I had to. Such a small price to pay to keep some of the most beautiful places on the planet protected. Plus you’re talking about an entrance fee that’s usually good for a week and costs the same as two movie tickets, c’mon people.
Free days are great because they encourage the crowds that would have gone around that date to go on that date, which leaves nearby days with much less visitors.