National Park Week across America kicks off Saturday with free park admission
Take advantage of the free admission kickoff to National Parks Week to finally visit one of the 400 national parks across America. The NPS has events every day of the week.
Find out more about National Park Week 2024
The National Park Service wants you to enjoy national parks during National Park Week. Here are some special events going on that you can join.
If visiting a certain national park has been on your bucket list, Saturday may be the perfect day to check it off. The National Park Service invites you to celebrate National Park Week by waiving admission at every one of the over 400 national parks on Saturday, April 20 to kick off the week.
While day one of the week-long celebration features free admission for everyone, each day from April 20-28 features a theme and a way to get involved. The NPS wants everyone to share their experiences, connections and feelings on social media with #NationalParkWeek. Find out about the events near you here.
You can join FOX Weather each day to visit a new national park too.
NATIONAL PARKS: THESE ARE THE FREE DAYS TO VISIT IN 2024
Saturday: Discovery
The National Park Service waives admission for everyone on Saturday. The NPS also designated the day as ParkRx Day.
"ParkRx Day is a day for people to get out and celebrate the healing power of parks and the great outdoors and to show support for the growing ParkRx movement of healthcare providers referring patients to nature and parks for their health," wrote the NPS. "The day is celebrated through a range of activities that can be self-led, ranger-led, community-led, and doctor-led to promote health and wellness benefits of parks."
HOW THE NATIONAL PARKS PRESERVE THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE US
A holiday for everyone who loves national parks.
(National Park Service / FOX Weather)
Join FOX Weather's Robert Ray who will take us to the Grand Canyon and South Dakota's Badlands National Park on FOX Weather.
Sunday: Volunteers
The NPS asks everyone to look into opportunities to volunteer and use their time and talents in a national park. Volunteer opportunities range from a couple of hours for one event to long-term positions.
Volunteers can head to the Indiana Dunes National Park in Porter, Indiana to pick up a garbage bag to fill with litter along one of the trails or beaches. Trade in a full bag for a reusable water bottle.
On FOX Weather, we'll visit the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco.
Monday: Earth Day
"Join the global celebration encouraging education and stewardship of the planet's natural resources," wrote the NPS. "Many parks are hosting volunteer events. You can also find ways to practice conservation at home."
TOP 10 MOST VISITED US NATIONAL PARKS AND MEMORIALS
FILE - The iconic Old Faithful Geyser springs to life (every 90 minutes) in Yellowstone National Park's Upper Geyser Basin on September 18, 2022, in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Sitting atop an active volcanic caldera, Yellowstone, America's first National Park, is home to more geological hydrothermal features (geysers, mud pots, hot springs, fumaroles) than are found in the rest of the world combined.
(George Rose / Getty Images)
To celebrate Earth Day in Charleston, South Carolina, the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park rangers will be giving presentations about human impact on Earth and handing out "grab-and-go wildflower balls" for your yard.
Ray will take us to Arches National Park in Utah to celebrate.
Tuesday: Innovation
Several parks will offer presentations and examples of how national parks preserve the history of the nation's innovation through natural and cultural resources in the parks.
Visitors can take an hour-long boat cruise through the park's waterways guided by a ranger who will point out birds like bald eagles and roseate spoonbills at the Fort Matanzas National Monument in St. Augustine, Florida.
Join Ray at Canyonlands National Park in Utah on FOX Weather.
Wednesday: Workforce Wednesday
You can meet an NPS employee, intern, fellow, volunteer and contractor to learn different ways everyone can get involved.
File: Shenandoah National Park.
(Andrew Parlette / Flikr / FOX Weather)
Chat with rangers as you take a tour of the nation's first immigration station, the Castle Garden Emigrant Depot at the Castle Clinton National Monument in New York.
Meanwhile, FOX Weather will visit Capitol Reef National Park, also in Utah.
Thursday: Youth Engagement
"Calling the rising generation of stewards! Learn about the opportunities for youth and young adults to get involved and see what your peers are up to," the NPS writes.
The Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Wilberforce, Ohio is hosting a fort building activity. Kids will learn how to build their own forts and hear about what life was like for the Buffalo Soldiers. They can even take the forts home.
Friday: Community Connections
The NPS has programs and partners to benefit communities inside and outside the park boundaries.
File: Sequoia trees rise into the sky at Sequoia National Park in California during the spring of 2023.
(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)
The Moores Creek National Battlefield invites all to join a naturalization ceremony for 60 new Americans in Curie, North Carolina. Guest speakers will talk about the history of the area.
Saturday: Junior Ranger Day
"For kids (and kids at heart), become a Junior Ranger through in-person or online activities to learn about special places or topics," the NPS encourages. "You may even earn a Junior Ranger badge!"
Big Thicket National Preserve in Kountze, Texas gives every "kid" who finishes the scavenger hunt. Kids join rangers to search for sunspots through a telescope, take selfies with the park's airboat and even search for new artifacts in an archaeological dig.
File: A junior ranger looks through a solar-filtered telescope searching for sunspots.
(NPS / Nathan Pattee / FOX Weather)
Sunday: Arts in Parks
Parks actually have artists-in-residence. The NPS organized online galleries to see their work and serve as inspiration to create your own art.
"Art has been part of the history of national parks since the 1870s when Hudson River School painters captured majestic Western landscapes," the NPS wrote. "Through their awe-inspiring works, the public came to see these special places in America for the first time. The works captured their imaginations, spurring them to preserve these lands for future generations."
7 WEATHER EXTREMES EXPERIENCED AT NATIONAL PARKS
FILE - Skyline Arch at Arches National Park on January 13, 2021 in Moab, Utah.
(Josh Brasted / Getty Images)
The Georoge Washington Birthplace National Monument wants you to be the artist. Bring sketch pads, cameras even notepaper for poems and add your masterpiece to the Visitor Art Gallery in Colonia Beach, Virginia.