Free Entrance Days in the National Parks.

NPS/Dan Ng

Yosemite Falls is visible from numerous places around Yosemite Valley, especially around Yosemite Village and Yosemite Lodge. A one-mile loop trail leads to the base of Lower Yosemite Fall.

America's Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees.*

Mark your calendar for these fee-free days in 2011:
January 15-17 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday weekend)
April 16-24 (National Park Week)
June 21 (First day of summer)
September 24 (Public Lands Day)
November 11-13 (Veterans Day weekend)

Making the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors with their own special offers.

Here’s a tip – many of your 394 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

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National Park Entrance fees waived on September 25

WASHINGTON – Come visit one of America’s 392 national parks on National Public Lands Day, September 25, 2010. All national parks are waiving entrance fees.

“I invite everyone to enjoy these special places,” said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. “National parks have contributed so much to me personally. Within their bounds, I’ve set off on adventures, relaxed in quiet solitude, and shared some unforgettable experiences with my wife and children. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the free entry on September 25. Bring your family and friends, and discover how America’s public lands can enrich your life.”

The national parks hold something for everyone—hardcore hikers and campers and people who like to explore history, take a leisurely nature walk, or simply pack a picnic lunch and get away from it all. In the parks, visitors of all abilities and interests can enjoy a day away, often without making more than a short trip from one of the population centers many of us call home.

For example:
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park offers residents of the Washington metropolitan area the chance to discover the Civil War and the build-up to this conflict.

New Yorkers can stroll and picnic in a landscape of woodlands and meadows, marsh and beach, at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on Long Island.  For people who call Chicago or Gary, Ind., home, it’s not too late to build sand castles at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

At Bandelier National Monument, residents of Albuquerque and Santa Fe can climb wooden ladders and sit in cavates—tiny rooms carved into cliffs by Ancestral Pueblo people.  Folks in San Diego can get an up-close look at seastars, anemones, and other tidepool creatures at Cabrillo National Monument.

To discover many other activities available in national parks, please consult the National Park Service’s Events Calendar for 2010 (http://www.nps.gov/pwr/customcf/apps/eventcalendar/listing/event_list.cfm ). It’s not too early to start thinking about how to take advantage of the next time your national parks waive entrance fees—Veterans Day, November 11, the last of 2010’s fee-free days.  http://www.nps.gov/

Here are the Utah parks that are participating in these FEE FREE day:


Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Hovenweep National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument
Zion National Park


The National Environmental Education Foundation, a Congressionally chartered complement to the Environmental Protection Agency, organizes National Public Lands Day every year. This annual event encourages stewardship and enjoyment of public lands. On National Public Lands Day, volunteers labor to conserve national, state, and local parks; national forests; and other lands that belong to the American people. In support of the effort to engage people in service and recreation on public lands, the National Park Service waives entrance fees on National Public Lands Day.


http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

Free Admission to the National Parks this Weekend

America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better this year with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees*.


Mark your calendar for fee-free days this year:

■April 17-25, 2010 (National Park Week)
■June 5-6, 2010
■August 14-15, 2010
■September 25, 2010 (Public Lands Day)
■November 11, 2010 (Veterans Day)

And to make the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors on this summer’s fee free weekends with the their own special offers.

Here’s a tip – many of your 392 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

Free Entrance Days - Participating Parks (by state)

Arizona
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Chiricahua National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Grand Canyon National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Petrified Forest National Park
Pipe Spring National Monument
Saguaro National Park
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Tonto National Monument
Tumacacori National Historical Park
Tuzigoot National Monument
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Wupatki National Monument

Arkansas
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Pea Ridge National Military Park

California
Cabrillo National Monument
Death Valley National Park
John Muir National Historic Site
Joshua Tree National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lava Beds National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Sequoia National Park
Whiskeytown Unit National Recreation Area
Yosemite National Park

Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Colorado National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Great Sand Dunes NP & Preserve National Park
Hovenweep National Monument
Mesa Verde National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park

Florida
Canaveral National Seashore
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Gulf Islands National Seashore

Georgia
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Fort Frederica National Monument
Fort Pulaski National Monument

Hawaii
Haleakalā National Park
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Yellowstone National Park

Illinois
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Memorial

Indiana
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Iowa
Effigy Mounds National Monument

Kansas
Fort Scott National Historic Site

Maine
Acadia National Park

Maryland
Antietam National Battlefield
Assateague Island National Seashore
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Fort McHenry NM and Historic Shrine National Monument
Fort Washington Park
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Mississippi
Gulf Islands National Seashore

Massachusetts
Adams National Historical Park
Cape Cod National Seashore
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
Longfellow National Historic Site

Michigan
Isle Royale National Park
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Minnesota
Grand Portage National Monument
Pipestone National Monument

Mississippi
Vicksburg National Military Park

Missouri
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Memorial
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

Montana
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Glacier National Park
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Yellowstone National Park

Nebraska
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Scotts Bluff National Monument

Nevada
Death Valley National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area

New Hampshire
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

New Jersey
Edison National Historic Site
Morristown National Historical Park

New Mexico
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Bandelier National Monument
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
El Morro National Monument
Fort Union National Monument
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Pecos National Historical Park
White Sands National Monument

New York
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Saratoga National Historical Park
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

North Carolina
Wright Brothers National Memorial

North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Ohio
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial National Memorial

Oklahoma
Fort Smith National Historic Site

Oregon
Crater Lake National Park
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park

Pennsylvania
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
Fort Necessity National Battlefield
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Steamtown National Historic Site
Valley Forge National Historical Park

Puerto Rico
San Juan National Historic Site

South Carolina
Fort Sumter National Monument

South Dakota
Badlands National Park
Jewel Cave National Monument

Tennessee
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Shiloh National Military Park

Texas
Big Bend National Park
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Padre Island National Seashore

Utah
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Hovenweep National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument
Zion National Park

Virgin Islands
Christiansted National Historic Site

Virginia
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
National Memorial
Assateague Island National Seashore
Colonial National Historical Park
George Washington Birthplace National Monument
George Washington Memorial Parkway's Great Falls Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Petersburg National Battlefield
Prince William Forest Park
Shenandoah National Park

Washington
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Olympic National Park
Whitman Mission National Historic Site

West Virginia
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Wyoming
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Devils Tower National Monument
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park

National Parks Offer Free Admission this Weekend

WASHINGTON – Free admission, warmer weather, longer days, and fewer crowds make this weekend a great time to visit a national park! To celebrate the coming of summer, the National Park Service is waiving entrance fees at all parks on June 5 & 6.

“National parks offer visitors great places to exercise their bodies and their minds- or just relax with family or friends,” said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. “Check out the birding caravan at Acadia in Maine or be part of the 50th anniversary celebration at Bent’s Old Fort in Colorado. Whatever your interests come on out this weekend and experience the best places that America has at the best price you’ll find - free!”

National Trails Day on June 5 is an opportune time to hike a portion of the 17,000 miles of trail located in national parks. Additionally, the National Park Service National Trails System manages more than 50,000 miles of historic and scenic trails of national importance, such as the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail and more than 1,000 national recreation trails of local or regional significance.

The National Park Service entrance fees will also be waived on August 14 & 15, September 25, and November 11, 2010. Fees for activities such as camping, reservations, tours, or concessions are not affected by the entrance fee waiver.

There are 147 parks that normally charge entrance fees ranging from $3 to $25. The other 245 national parks do not charge entrance fees, so you can plan inexpensive visits year round!

Timpanogos Cave now open for Tours

Spring has begun to arrive in American Fork Canyon. Leaves are appearing on the trees, birds are in song, and picnickers are starting to be seen. After a long winter that didn’t want to let go, with snow falling in the park into May, the sunshine and warm weather are on their way.

Visitors are encouraged to start planning their visit to the caves now. The visitor center is now open daily from 7:00am to 5:30pm. through Labor Day, and from 8:00am to 5:00pm for the remainder of the season. During the season, the caves will be closed on June 2 and 3 for trail maintenance. Construction of a new exit shelter in the fall may lead to additional closures after Labor Day. Superintendent Davis says, “Planned trail maintenance and construction this season are a minor inconvenience that will ensure the safety and comfort of visitors in the future. I encourage visitors to check the park website at www.nps.gov/tica  often for updates, contact the park at (801) 756-5238 with questions, and to consider taking a cave tour earlier in the season if possible.”

Cave tour tickets may be purchased up to thirty days in advance starting May 8 by calling the visitor center at (801) 756-5238 and using a credit card. Ticket prices are $7.00 for adults, $5.00 for juniors (ages 6-15), $3.00 for children (ages 3-5), and children 2 and under are free. Seniors (age 62 and over) with a Golden Age Passport or Senior Pass are $3.50. Cave tours are limited to 20 participants per tour. Hiking the 1.5 mile trail to the cave is considered moderately strenuous, gaining over 1,000 feet in elevation. The cave tour and hike takes approximately three hours. The cave temperature is a cool 45 degrees Fahrenheit; light jackets, plenty of drinking water and sturdy walking shoes are recommended.

Timpanogos Cave National Monument will be holding special Junior Ranger Day activities on Saturday May 29 and Monday May 31 to kick off this season’s series of Junior Ranger programs. Special award certificates, pins, and patches will be available to all participants.  

Timpanogos Cave will also continue its use of BATS for this season. BATS are Behind A Tour Specialist which is a program to educate youth on working in the national monument, protecting cave resources, and providing visitor services. Behind A Tour Specialist's need to be 14 years of age or older, hike to the caves unescorted, and will be provided training and a uniform shirt. Youth interested in participating in the program should contact the park at (801) 756-5239.

Finally, the park will be continuing its highly successful evening programs again. Evening programs will be offered every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening starting May 28 from 7:00 to 8:00pm. The programs are free of charge and will be presented at the Timpanogos Cave Visitor Center, Swinging Bridge Picnic Area or Mutual Dell camp. Please contact the visitor center at (801) 756-5238 for more information about summer activities or to purchase cave tour tickets in advance of your planned visit.

A Field Day for National Park Collectors

WASHINGTON – Pssst…philatelists, numismatists, parkies – you know who you are. National Park Week has good things in store for you.

If it’s the cha-ching of change or shiny, new things that capture you, check out the first coin in the America the Beautiful QuartersTM series, released in Arkansas. Hot Springs National Park graces this stunning quarter and blazes a beautiful trail for a Yellowstone National Park quarter in June, Yosemite National Park in July, and Grand Canyon National Park in September. You can purchase the coins from the United States Mint at http://www.usmint.gov/ .

Prefer your paraphernalia gummed and perforated? The Grandest Things: Our National Parks in Words, Images, and Stamps made its debut when Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Postmaster General John E. Potter, and National Park Service Deputy Director Dan Wenk unveiled it at the Smithsonian’s Postal Museum. The 116-page hardcover book, produced by the U.S. Postal Service and the National Park Service is unique in its inclusion of both famous parks and smaller gems – plus, it includes nine mint stamps—including the 1972 Old Faithful, Yellowstone.

And, if all this isn’t enough to throw your collecting instinct into primal-overdrive – the United States Postal Service revealed Scenic American Landscapes premium stamped postcards in a first-day-of-issue-ceremony. The set of 20 stamped cards showcases 10 spectacular national park photographs originally featured on Scenic American Landscapes stamps issued over the past decade.

The Grandest Things and the Scenic American Landscapes postcards are available now at http://www.stampproducts.com/parksbook/  and soon at select national park bookstores.

Jon Jarvis, National Park Service Director said, “For people who love their parks or love collecting, these commemoratives will bring memories of fun times with family and friends; for those who are just learning about their national parks, this book, the postcards, and series of quarters is a great way to get acquainted. I hope everyone will discover a new national park this National Park Week.”

In honor of National Park Week (www.nps.gov/npweek ), entrance is free at national parks from April 17-25, 2010.

Salazar Announces National Park Service Will Waive Entrance Fees During National Park Week April 17- 25

WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that all 392 national parks will have free admission during National Park Week, April 17 to 25. Parks will also offer additional family friendly activities and special offers on tours, lodging, food, and souvenirs. A listing of parks and promotions is available at www.nps.gov/npweek .

“We are rolling out the red carpet and inviting everyone to visit a national park and help celebrate National Park Week,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “Parks are fun and affordable destinations and great places to engage in healthy, outdoor activities, whether for a few hours or a few days.”

National Park Week, a program of the National Park Service, is an opportunity to engage families and communities in America’s Great Outdoors, reconnecting them with nature and creating close to home opportunities for people to get outside, be active, and have fun.

“National parks preserve our heritage, promote recreational experiences, and provide places of quiet refuge,” said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. “Most people live within a short drive of a national park so I encourage everyone to spend some time enjoying America’s Great Outdoors during National Park Week.”

There will be hundreds of family friendly events on Saturday, April 24, for National Junior Ranger Day. Each child participating in Junior Ranger activities will receive a certificate, patch, or pin.

Other National Park Week highlights include the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the 75th anniversary of the nation’s most visited national park – the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Normally, 146 of 392 national parks charge entrance fees ranging from $3 to $25. The other 246 do not charge for admission. The fee free waiver for National Park Week does not include other fees collected in advance or by contractors—such as fees charged for camping, reservations and use of concessions.

National parks now subject to state and local firearms laws

WASHINGTON – A change in federal law effective Monday, February 22, allows firearms in many national parks. People who can legally possess firearms under federal and state law can now possess those firearms in the national parks in that state. The new law (Sec. 512 of P.L. 111-24) was passed by Congress and signed last May by the President.

Prior to February 22, firearms have generally been prohibited in national parks – except in some Alaska parks and those parks that allow hunting.

State and local firearms laws vary. Visitors who would like to bring a firearm with them to a national park need to understand and comply with the applicable laws. More than 30 national parks are located in more than one state, so visitors need to know where they are in those parks and which state’s law applies.

“For nearly 100 years, the mission of the National Park Service has been to protect and preserve the parks and to help all visitors enjoy them,”

National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis said. “We will administer this law as we do all others – fairly and consistently.”

Federal law continues to prohibit the possession of firearms in designated “federal facilities” in national parks, for example, visitor centers, offices, or maintenance buildings. These places are posted with “firearms prohibited” signs at public entrances. The new law also does not change prohibitions on the use of firearms in national parks and does not change hunting regulations

Park websites have been updated to include links to state firearms laws to help visitors understand the law and plan accordingly.

Save America’s Treasures Grant Program Announces $9.5 Million in Awards

Innovative federal/private partnership funds the preservation and conservation of the U.S’s irreplaceable and endangered historic properties, sites, documents, artistic works and artifacts

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities

(PCAH) and the National Park Service (NPS), jointly announced the awarding of $9.5 million in federal competitive Save America’s Treasures (SAT) grants, which are made in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). With these funds, 41 organizations and agencies will act to conserve significant U.S. cultural and historic treasures, which illustrate, interpret and are associated with the great events, ideas, and individuals that contribute to our nation’s history and culture. Save America’s Treasures is marking its 10th anniversary, and it has made more than 500 competitive grants to ensure our nation’s cultural and historic legacy.

“Save America's Treasures invests in our nation's irreplaceable legacy of buildings, documents, collections and artistic works," said First Lady Michelle Obama, Honorary Chairman of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. “These awards empower communities all over the country to rescue and restore this priceless heritage, and ensure that future generations continue to learn from the voices, ideas, events and people represented by these projects.”

The 41 projects awarded competitive grants this year address the preservation needs of the structures, places, documents, artistic works and artifacts that are deemed most significant to the nation. Several projects highlight this country’s rich architectural legacy from two rare surviving 17th century houses of worship to the works of leading 19th century and 20th century of American architects like David Burnham, Stanford White and Frank Lloyd Wright. Rare first-hand accounts of modern dance’s beginnings are told in photographs at Jacobs Pillow; the ideas and aspirations of post-war Americans are captured on tape from This I Believe radio program; and a window on a lost Native American culture is revealed in 18th century Friendly Association Papers. These and the other SAT projects all confront a range of threats from decay with some facing imminent collapse or extinction. These funds will ensure that this cultural and historic legacy can be experienced by the next generation of artists, scholars, students and citizens.

National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis congratulated the 41 recipients of the Save America’s Treasures awards saying, “The recipients of these grants deserve great credit for their commitment to the preservation of our nation’s history and culture. The historic properties and collections protected by Save America's Treasures grants for the last 10 years benefit all Americans, today and in the future. The National Park Service is proud of our role in administering this exceptional program with our partners.” Save America’s Treasures 2009,

The evaluation and recommendation of awards is carried out by an innovative interagency collaboration that blends the cross-disciplinary expertise of the federal cultural agencies (NEA, NEH, and IMLS) and the National Park Service, which administers the program in collaboration with the President’s Committee. To maximize private investment and support for these efforts, the program’s private partner, Save America’s Treasures at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, helps projects secure the required private match, and offers their assistance to a host of SAT grantees and preservation projects all across the country.

“Save America’s Treasures represents an exceptional process that blends the best expertise of our federal cultural partners and the National Park Service to select and recommend projects of exceptional value to our nation’s cultural and historic legacy. With the support of Congress and the White House, and bolstered by the exceptional efforts of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this program exemplifies what the public and private sector can accomplish together in preserving these pre-eminent symbols of our democracy and cultural values,” says George Stevens, Co-Chairman of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

Each of the federal partners oversees the awards to projects that reflect their own missions. This year twenty projects that focus on structures and sites will be administered by the National Park Service. The remaining twenty-one projects will address the needs of documents, artifacts and collections. For the NEA, NEH and IMLS, the projects illustrate diverse themes, ideas, artistry and subjects from the conservation of the papers of William Still (NEH), an African-American who published the most seminal first-hand accounts of the underground railroad, to the preservation of the 300-year old Faneuil Hall Art Collection (NEA) to conserving the fragile Last Column from World Trade Center (IMLS).

“The Institute of Museum and Library Services is proud to support Save America’s Treasures,” said IMLS Director Anne-Imelda Radice. “These awards are part of IMLS’s commitment to conservation that includes ongoing grant programs and Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a multiyear initiative to help improve the state of our nation’s collections.”

“Save America’s Treasures helps ensure that current and future generations have access to some of our nation’s most important art works,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “These grants will help preserve key components of our cultural heritage in dance, music, visual arts, and video.”

“As part of its mandate to preserve our cultural heritage, the NEH is committed to insuring that irreplaceable records of American history remain available for future generations,” said NEH Chairman Jim Leach. “Unique accounts of the operations of the Underground Railroad and original television and radio programs of the 1950s through the 1980s should not be allowed to deteriorate beyond repair.”

Save America’s Treasures is part of a long tradition of public-private partnerships and federal leadership. As the program's principal private partner, Save America's Treasures at the National Trust for Historic Preservation complements the work of the federal agencies by raising media awareness and leveraging financial support and stewardship within the private Save America’s Treasures 2009, sector through the creation of national partnerships with corporations, foundations, and individuals.

“The National Trust for Historic Preservation is proud to join the National Park Service and other federal agencies in what I consider to be one of the most ambitious and successful preservation efforts in the last 50 years," said Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “We have been honored to work with three administrations to help ensure the preservation and good stewardship of the places that tell America's story.”

In 2009, Save America’s Treasures received 402 grant applications from eligible federal agencies;
state, local, and tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations. Two panels of federal experts representing preservation and conservation disciplines reviewed the applications and made final recommendations to the Secretary of Interior. To be successful each applicant project must be of national significance, demonstrate an urgent preservation need, make the case as to how they will address the threat, and demonstrate the likely availability of non-federal matching funds.

From FY 1999-FY 2009, 1173 grants (594 earmarks and competitive grants) have been awarded to preserve nationally significant and endangered historic buildings, structures, places, collections, artifacts and artistic works. To date, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puert Rico, and Midway Island have received grants.

Additional information on the Save America’s Treasures program can be found on the PCAH Web site at http://www.pcah.gov/ , the NPS Web site at http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/treasures/ .