Embrace the beauty of Colorado’s national parks for free April 20
By Jim Lawson on April 16, 2024
National Park Week is happening April 20 to April 28, and to kick it off, it will be free to get in all the national parks in the country on April 20. That doesn’t just cover the major ones, like Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes or Grand Canyon, but all 429 sites in the National Park System, including battlefields and seashores.
While entry fees are only waived the first day of National Park Week, there are four other free entry days at national parks this year.
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- August 4 – Great American Outdoors Day
- September 28 – National Public Lands Day
- November 11 – Veterans Day
- Veterans and Gold Star Families are eligible for free lifetime access to national parks. Fourth graders and their families also get in for free with the Every Kid Outdoors program.
The first National Park Week was in 1991 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the National Park Service. The next one didn’t happen until 1994, but it’s now an annual event that encourages everyone to get out and enjoy the parks. There are special activities planned for the week and each of the nine days of National Park Week highlight a different parks-related theme.
- April 20 – Discovery
- April 21 – Volunteers
- April 22 – Earth Day
- April 23 – Innovation
- April 24 – Workforce Wednesday
- April 25 – Youth Engagement
- April 26 – Community Connections
- April 27 – Junior Ranger Day
- April 28 – Arts in Parks
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