National Park Week: Visit Parks for Free

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

It’s National Park Week, and the National Park Service is throwing a party. All week there will be opportunities to hike, explore, learn, share, bird-watch, view wildlife, and give back–all for free.

From today, April 22, through Friday, April 26, all entrance fees are waived at the national parks.

From morning birding tours at Padre Island National Seashore to reef bay hikes at Virgin Islands National Park to a wetlands walk at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Peserve, there are hundreds of special events going on at the parks this week to celebrate. To search for an event, click here.

To find a national park near you, click here. For more info on National Park Week, click here.

An Inuksuk in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska. An inuksuk, or a stone stood on end to help herd caribou, stands on the tundra in front of a mountain. (NPS)

Did you know…America’s 401 national parks include more than:

• 84 million acres of spectacular scenery, historic landmarks and cultural treasures
• 17,000 miles of trails
• 43,000 miles of shoreline
• 27,000 historic and prehistoric structures
• 100 million museum items
• 12,000 campsites

Grand Canyon National Park (NPS)