Happy Birthday, National Park Service! Your One-Day Chance to See These Terrific Parks for Free
Yosemite National Park is one of the parks having a fee-free day on Monday. (Photo: Thinkstock)
The National Park Service is having a 98th birthday party, and everyone’s invited — no gifts necessary. To celebrate the day that Congress authorized the NPS back in 1916, federal parks are waiving entrance fees for all 401 national parks (or, more accurately, the 133 parks that charge entrance fees) on Monday, August 25. That includes the entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees (but it may not include fees for reservations, camping, tours, or concessions, and fees collected by third parties — check with your park of choice).
So if you’ve been putting off a trip to the nearest national park, Monday’s the perfect time to check it out. Apart from the obvious choices (such as Yosemite and the Grand Canyon), here are some good parks to visit to take advantage of this big birthday!
1. Mammoth Cave
(Photo: Thinkstock)
Get your spelunk on at the aptly named Mammoth Cave National Park. This Kentucky attraction is the world’s longest-known cave system, with more than 400 miles explored. The park service offers a variety of tours.
Related: America’s Best National Park: Who Ya Got?
2. Mount Rainier
(Photo: Thinkstock)
Visit Mount Rainier to see the humongous volcano — one of the most recognizable sites in all of Washington state. If climbing it isn’t your thing, this park has hiking and camping spots as well.
3. Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
(Photo: Thinkstock)
See how the 1 percent lived back in the 19th century. Drop in on the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York. Situated on 211 acres — which the superwealthy family gave to the U.S. in the 1940s — the park offers great views of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River. Of course, the main attraction is the 54-room mansion (open to guided tours only).
4. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Sites
(Photo: Randy OHC/Flickr)
If you’re a fan of the 32nd president and his first lady, these two landmarks in Hyde Park, New York, are great places to make a pilgrimage. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt National Historic Site includes FDR’s lifelong home and burial ground, the Springwood estate, which is open to guided tours. Or you can roam the 300-acre site. A couple of miles away sits a site dedicated to FDR’s wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. The residence was where she lived after FDR’s death in 1945.
5. Agate Fossil Beds
(Photo: Erin Kinney/Flickr)
Now’s your chance to check out something really old. The Agate Fossil Beds in Nebraska are home to Miocene fossils that date back 20 million years. You can hike to the fascinating excavation site or check out the James Cook Collection of Native American artifacts.
6. Muir Woods National Monument
(Photo: Thinkstock)
Check out this lush redwood forest just north of San Francisco, California. The Muir Woods National Monument offers a number of paved and unpaved trails from which you can gaze up at the trees that line the gigantic park.
7. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
(Photo: Thinkstock)
The gigantic lava field that sits on the 750,000-acre Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is an Idaho must-see. Spend the day bird watching, hiking, and taking photos.
Related: The Most Popular U.S. Parks and Landmarks
8. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
(Photo: Alex/Flickr)
The 366-acre Fort Vancouver National Historic Site resides in two states, Washington and Oregon. It’s noted as a major 19th century fur trading site and U.S. Army barracks. An essential monument to the history of the Pacific Northwest.
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9. Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield
(Photo: JeromeG111/Flickr)
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield in Missouri is the site of the Civil War’s first major battle west of the Mississippi. Now, there’s a five-mile self-guided driving tour through the battlefield and a museum.
10. Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
(Photo: Thinkstock)
This Tennessee/Kentucky park encompasses a 90-mile stretch of gorges and valleys. It’s perfect for a hiking/picnic trip
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