Celebrate the National Park Service's 105th birthday with free entry

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DENVER — To celebrate the birthday of the National Park Service, all sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission.

Colorado is home to four National Parks: Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, and Rocky Mountain. The Centennial State also has more than 10 historic sites, trails, and monuments that are managed by the National Park Service.

The National Park Service turns 105 years old on Wednesday, August 25. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act into law, which then created the National Park Service.

The service’s birthday is one of the handful of days where National Parks provide free entry for visitors. The others are as follows:

  • Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 20)
  • First day of National Park Week
  • Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act (August 5)
  • National Public Lands Day (Fourth Saturday in September)
  • Veterans Day (November 11)

 

It is important to check how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the National Park of your choice before heading out for a day on the trails. On August 16, the NPS announced it is requiring masks indoors and in crowded outdoor areas at all national parks.

“Visitors to national parks are coming from locations across the country, if not across the world. Because of this, and recognizing that the majority of the United States is currently in substantial or high transmission categories, we are implementing a service-wide mask requirement to ensure our staff and visitors’ safety,” said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge in a news release.

[Related: An Explosion In Visitors Is Threatening The Very Things National Parks Try To Protect]

In Rocky Mountain National Park, visitors still have to secure a timed entry permit or camping reservation to enter the park, even on free admission days.

More closures and alerts are available on the National Park Service website here.

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