Celebrate National Public Lands Day With Free Admission to All National Parks

Since 1994, the fourth Saturday of each September has been celebrated as National Public Lands Day.

Considered the most substantial single-day volunteer initiative of the calendar year, Public Lands Day “celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits,” the National Park Service’s website states.

If you’re interested, learn more about the numerous volunteer opportunities and how you can get involved, or read up on events scheduled near you in celebration of National Public Lands Day.

Additionally, the Park Service is celebrating this year’s iteration by providing free admission to all 63 of its parks, one of six complimentary days in 2021. (Veterans Day—Nov. 11—is the next day offered gratis.)

To go along with the day’s theme of volunteerism, the Park Service is also sharing an array of initiatives that, in some cases, will be rewarded with free admission to a national park at a later date.

The Volunteers-In-Parks program, for example, offers a wealth of opportunities that range from working on policies behind the scenes to helping those policies come to fruition on the ground.

Volunteer programs are being facilitated this year, as in previous, by a collaborative effort that includes personnel from the National Environmental Education Foundation, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Army, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Agriculture, among numerous others.

Whether volunteering or enjoying the myriad health benefits associated with the outdoors, participants are encouraged to share their experiences Saturday on social media using the #NPLD, #NPSVolunteer, and #FindYourPark hashtags.