Dates for 2012 national park fee-free days are out. On fee-free days, you can visit most national parks and some BLM, Fish and Wildlife Service and US Forest Service sites without paying fees. The special events are organized to encourage visitors to see sites among the best America has to offer.
There are 17 national park fee-free days in 2012:
- January 14 to 16: Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend
- April 21 to 29: National Park week
- June 9: Get Outdoors Day
- September 29: National Public Lands Day
- November 10 to 12: Veterans Day weekend
The National Park service maintains a fee-free national parks page with details of participating sites.About 100 sites which would normally charge up to $25 for entrance are fee; exceptions usually include a third-party concessionaire such as the Statue of Liberty, which requires you to pay a private ferry company for access.
National parks, public land agencies offer 2012 fee-free days
BLM, USFS and USFWS will waive their fees in January, June, September and November, but they don't participate in National Park Week. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does have its own free day on October 14 as part of National Wildlife Refuge Week.
The Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees rivers, lakes and reservoirs, will have free days on September 29 and November 12 only. Army Corps of Engineers usually joins in on National Public Lands Day.
Boondockers can add an extra dimension to visits by taking advantage of in-park campgrounds and nearby national forests; also look out for special sales, deals and events during national park fee-free days in 2012.
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