A Week of Free National Parks Admission Starts Saturday, April 21

It’s increasingly difficult to come up with family activities which would not cost an arm and a leg which is why I’m so thrilled to learn that starting April 21, and stretching all the way through the following weekend, entrance fees are being waived at all national parks that usually charge for admission.

The occasion is what’s become an annual event, National Park Week, which in 2012 is scheduled for April 21 to 29. It’s one of several periods during the year when normal admissions fees are waived. Other no-fee dates include Get Outdoors Day (June 9), National Public Lands Day (September 29), and Veteran’s Day (November 10 to 12 this year).

How much you’d save on entrance fees depends, of course, on which park you’re visiting. Normal admissions fees range from $25 (Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier), to $20 (Yosemite), to $15 (Badlands), to free all year-round (Great Smoky Mountains, Redwood National Park). The Parks Department likes to point out that 397 national parks and monuments, in fact, never charge admission.

So what are you waiting for?   Pack your sleeping bags and go explore your wild side.  🙂

Source: Time