Aside from this glorious pre-summer weather we’re being blessed with in Southern California, all you Mother Nature lovers out there have just been given another reason to strip down and do your sun-worshipping dance! It’s National Park Week—which means you can get into any National Park across the U.S. completely FREE this week!
From Saturday April 16th – Sunday April 24th, all parks that normally charge will be waiving their entrance fees. Been wondering about that rare Death Valley superbloom? Go explore for yourself! Been yearning for the epic peaks of Yosemite? Get in the car and go before the summer crowds hit! Longing for the damp moss-covered forests of Muir Woods? Let your inner wood nymph go romp!
Big bonus to all you kiddos trekking back from Weekend 1 or out to Weekend 2 of Coachella—you can enjoy free entry into Joshua Tree National Park while you’re out there! Take a break from soaking in the sounds to soak in some beautiful desert stillness. LIFE BONUS: the Lyrid Meteor Shower is also happening this week with active meteors between April 16th-April 25th, peaking April 22nd & 23rd. Get outside the festival lights and camp out under the stars to take in nature’s light show in the sky!
Here’s a list of our nearby National Parks that normally charge a fee but will be FREE all week…
CALIFORNIA~
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
ARIZONA~
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Petrified Forest National Park
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Walnut Canyon National Monument
COLORADO~
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
NEW MEXICO~
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Pecos National Historical Park
Valles Caldera National Preserve
OREGON~
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
UTAH~
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Natural Bridges National Monument
WASHINGTON~
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
The National Park Service is celebrating their 100th Anniversary this year, so keep an eye out for cool events all year. We’re so lucky to live so close to many of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. With National Parks just a few hours in every direction, there’s no excuse not to take advantage of this chance to explore the places you’ve always wanted to see. Grab your gang, grab a tent and GO!
Happy Adventuring!! ~love Sirens & Scoundrels
All information on National Park Week and participating parks can be found on the U.S. National Park Service website: www.nps.gov/findapark/national-park-week.htm. FULL LIST of all U.S. free entrance parks across the country this week: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks-state.htm.
Words by Christina Huntington // Photography by Sarah Prikryl
Additional Photography by Michael Peters
© 2016 Sirens and Scoundrels
Sirens & Scoundrels 