The National Park Service has conveniently provided us with yet another excuse for enjoying the great outdoors in 2013 by officially announcing its list of fee-free days for the year ahead. Over the course of the next 12 months, the NPS has designated 13 days to be a part of the fee-free program, granting access to more than 2000 national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other federal lands at no charge. The first of these fee-free days will take place on January 21 in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Falling early in the year makes this a great opportunity to visit some of the more spectacular parks in the system in the middle of winter, when they are usually uncrowded and provide a completely different experience from the summer months. For example, both Yellowstone and Olympic are absolutely spectacular winter playgrounds, as are Yosemite and Bryce Canyon. If you haven’t visited any of these parks in January, this may be the perfect time to do so.
The remaining fee-free days are sprinkled throughout the year and each corresponds with a specific holiday or special day of some type. The following is a complete list of each of the fee-free days for 2013 and the celebration with which they are associated:
- January 21 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- April 22–26 — National Park Week
- June 8 — Great Outdoors Day
- August 25 — National Park Service Birthday
- September 28 — National Public Land Day
- October 13 — National Wildlife Refuge Day
- November 9–11 — Veterans Day weekend
The fee-free program was initiated a few years back and has become quite popular with travelers – many of whom plan their visits to coincide with the one or more of these days. If you’re planning on visiting a national park later this year, then perhaps your schedule will allow you take advantage of these great opportunities to experience “America’s Best Idea” without paying an entry fee. But even if you can’t visit on a fee-free day, visiting a park is always a good idea. These are, after all, some of the most breathtaking and iconic landscapes on the planet and well worth the effort.
[Photo Credit: National Park Service]
