It’s National Park Week, the annual commemoration of America’s cultural heritage and tradition of preserving sites of natural beauty and early human civilization.
Happy National Park Week! Admission is free from 4/22-4/26. So get out there & enjoy views like this 1! @GlacierNPS pic.twitter.com/EPiUmKezGK
— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) April 20, 2013
Many visitors are lured by the free admission to any of the country’s 401 national parks Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26. Colorado knows that it's much more than that though - it's the chance to see an elk and the scenery in Rocky Mountain National Park. The ruins and history you find at Mesa Verde National Park. Or the chance to sled down an actual sand dune at the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Enjoy no entrance fees for #NationalParksWeek April 22-26 & celebrate America’s best idea. @NatlParkService
— Mark Udall (@MarkUdall) April 20, 2013
The National Park Service began in 1916 with a mission focused on preserving the country's historic, cultural and scenic resources. In 1966 the emphasis shifted from preservation toward making the parks accessible to the public. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns was inspired to produce The National Parks: America's Best Idea, which aired as a six-part series on PBS in 2009.
According to the National Park Foundation, the park system encompasses more than 84 million acres, 27,000 historic and prehistoric structures, and 12,000 campsites.
Find a searchable calendar of events for National Park Week, which runs April 20 - 28, here.