National Park Service Waives Entrance Fees This Weekend

September 24, 2008

 National Park Service Waives Entrance Fees This Weekend

Sept. 24, 2008 – All National Park Service sites will offer free visitor admission this weekend. There will be no entrance fees Sept. 27, in celebration of National Public Lands Day and on Sept. 28, to honor the country’s newest citizens.

"The fee free weekend provides a great opportunity for people to explore their public lands, including the 391 units of the National Park Service," said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar. "The men and women of the National Park Service are proud to preserve 84 million acres of this nation for the enjoyment of the American people."

Also this weekend, national parks and other public lands will host special programs and volunteer projects to commemorate the 15th annual National Public Lands Day. Volunteers can take part in projects such as planting trees, building trails, or removing invasive plants. Anyone who volunteers at a National Park Service area on National Public Lands Day will receive a free one day pass valid for future use at any site.

"Each park is a special place set aside to tell a part of our country’s story," said Bomar, herself a naturalized citizen. "I feel it is important that every American, no matter how long his or her family has lived in the United States, connects firsthand with the heritage preserved in National Park Service sites."