{"id":41242,"date":"2018-12-04T11:45:46","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T19:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=41242"},"modified":"2021-07-15T12:03:23","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T19:03:23","slug":"explore-the-national-parks-for-free-on-these-days-in-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/explore-the-national-parks-for-free-on-these-days-in-2019","title":{"rendered":"Explore the National Parks for Free on These Days in 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Park Service (NPS) just announced its no-fee entrance dates for 2019 in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/orgs\/1207\/11-19-2018-fee-free-days.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">press release<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, inviting visitors to explore the national parks for five days\u2014for free. The free days include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">January 21, 2019 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">April 20, 2019 (the first day of National Park Week)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">August 25, 2019 (the National Park Service\u2019s birthday)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">September 28, 2019 (National Public Lands Day)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">November 11, 2019 (Veterans Day)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On these five days, you\u2019ll be able to enter any of the National Park System\u2019s 418 parks at no cost. The entrance fee waiver doesn\u2019t include other costs like camping fees, boat launch fees, transportation fees or special tour payments. This fee-free program will be especially useful at the 115 parks that typically charge entrance fees, including Denali National Park &amp; Preserve, Grand Canyon National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, among others. (For a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/planyourvisit\/fee-free-parks-state.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">full list <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the included parks by state, visit the NPS website.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NPS first started offering entrance fee-free days in 2003, according to Kathy Kupper, an NPS public affairs specialist. Originally, the free days only occured on National Public Lands Day and, later, on Veterans Day. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIn 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar introduced additional fee-free days to promote national parks as affordable destinations and help fuel the economy of gateway communities,\u201d or cities and towns located outside and adjacent to national parks, Kupper said in an email, noting that this change occurred during the recession, when many families were looking for budget-friendly travel options.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From 2009 to 2017, the NPS said it offered between 8 and 17 fee-free national park days per year, including one free weekend of every month during the summer. Last year, however, the NPS decided to focus more heavily on other budget concerns, such as eliminating its\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/subjects\/infrastructure\/deferred-maintenance.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$12 billion maintenance backlog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Thus, the NPS reduced the number of free entrance days offered each year. Kupper said each fee-free day costs the park system approximately $500,000, depending on the park and time of year. In 2018, the NPS offered four free entrance days; in 2019, the park service will increase the total number of free days to five by including the NPS\u2019s birthday. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe entrance fee-free days hosted by the National Park Service are special opportunities to invite visitors, volunteers and veterans to celebrate some important moments for our parks and opportunities for service in those parks,\u201d National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith said in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhether it\u2019s exploring an urban historic site, or hiking rim to rim in the Grand Canyon, fee-free days allow unlimited entrance into more than 85 million acres of national parks, making America\u2019s best idea accessible for all,\u201d said Taldi Harrison, REI\u2019s federal government affairs manager. This is a great opportunity to explore lesser-known parks like Capitol Reef in Utah and Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s worth noting that our national parks already offer budget-friendly options for exploration every day: 303 of the parks are always free for visitors. You can also buy the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/planyourvisit\/passes.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">America the Beautiful Pass<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which gives you unlimited entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas each year for $80. Senior citizens, current military members, families of fourth grade students and disabled citizens are also eligible to receive discounted or free passes to the national parks year-round.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAdmission to most national parks is free year-round, and offering fee-free entrance days at all 418 [parks] is a great way to encourage access for all,\u201d said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. \u201cTake the opportunity to explore the unique places and stories that mark our shared history and heritage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>When you&#8217;re ready to plan your trip, visit REI&#8217;s Camping Project,\u00a0which pulls data from the trip planning and reservation service\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.recreation.gov\/\">recreation.gov<\/a> to let you\u00a0search bookable campgrounds by location and discover nearby activities like hiking, trail-running, backcountry skiing and more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related articles<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/hike\/how-to-explore-grand-teton-national-park\">How to Explore Grand Teton National Park<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/travel\/how-to-explore-bryce-canyon-national-park\">How to Explore Bryce Canyon National Park<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/travel\/how-to-visit-great-smoky-mountains-national-park\">How to Visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/travel\/your-guide-to-visiting-colorado-national-monument\">Your Guide to Visiting Colorado National Monument\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/planning-your-next-camping-trip-is-about-to-get-even-easier\">Planning Your Next Camping Trip is About to Get Even Easier\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"cb-button cb-white cb-normal cb-none\"><a href=\"\/blog\/tag\/national-park-visitor-guide\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"follow\">See More National Park Visitor Guides <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" role=\"presentation\"><path d=\"M16 12a.997.997 0 0 0-.288-.702l-5.005-5.005a1 1 0 0 0-1.414 1.414L13.585 12 9.29 16.295a1 1 0 0 0 1.417 1.412l4.98-4.98A.997.997 0 0 0 16 12z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Park Service (NPS) just announced its no-fee entrance dates for 2019 in a press release, inviting visitors to explore the national parks for five days\u2014for free. The free days include: January 21, 2019 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) April 20, 2019 (the first day of National Park Week) August 25, 2019 (the National [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":41243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685],"tags":[588,727,649,692,656],"internal-tag":[1492],"class_list":["post-41242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-camping","tag-latest-posts","tag-national-park-service","tag-news","tag-public-lands","internal-tag-staff-featured-hp-stories"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/news\/explore-the-national-parks-for-free-on-these-days-in-2019","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Explore the National Parks for Free on These Days in 2019","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/explore-the-national-parks-for-free-on-these-days-in-2019","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/explore-the-national-parks-for-free-on-these-days-in-2019"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Entrance-Fee-Free-Days_NPS_Hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Entrance-Fee-Free-Days_NPS_Hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C880"},"articleSection":"News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jessica Bernhard"}],"creator":["Jessica Bernhard"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["camping","latest posts","national park service","news","public lands"],"dateCreated":"2018-12-04T19:45:46Z","datePublished":"2018-12-04T19:45:46Z","dateModified":"2021-07-15T19:03:23Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Explore the National Parks for Free on These Days in 2019\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/explore-the-national-parks-for-free-on-these-days-in-2019\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/explore-the-national-parks-for-free-on-these-days-in-2019\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/Entrance-Fee-Free-Days_NPS_Hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/Entrance-Fee-Free-Days_NPS_Hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C880\"},\"articleSection\":\"News\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jessica Bernhard\"}],\"creator\":[\"Jessica Bernhard\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"camping\",\"latest posts\",\"national park service\",\"news\",\"public lands\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2018-12-04T19:45:46Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-04T19:45:46Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-07-15T19:03:23Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Entrance-Fee-Free-Days_NPS_Hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C880","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/72"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41242"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":170808,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41242\/revisions\/170808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41242"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=41242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}