After setting various attendance records in 2021, the US National Park Service announced that they will waive fees for five days in 2022.
The free days for people to enter any of the country's 423 national parks will be on Monday, January 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Saturday, April 16: the first day of National Park Week; Thursday, Aug. 4: anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act; Saturday, Sept. 24: National Public Lands Day; Friday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day.
"Whether on an entrance fee-free day or throughout the year, we encourage everyone to discover their national parks and the benefits that come from spending time outdoors," National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a news release.
Out of the over 400 national parks, only about 110 have entrance fees that range from $5 to $35. The funds are used to support the visitor by providing programs and services, along with maintenance, repairs, and habitat restoration. The money from entrance fees remain in the National Park Service and 80-100% stays in the park where collected.
237 million people visited national parks in 2020, and spent $14.5 billion in local communities.
Fourth grade students, US military members and their dependents, US veterans and Gold Star families, and eligible NPS volunteers can receive free annual passes all year long. US citizens with a permanent disability can get a free lifetime pass, and US citizens 62-years-old and older can purchase a lifetime pass for $80 or an annual pass for $20.
The NPS added that many areas of Sequoia National Park in California are closed because of recent snowfall in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park had the most recreationally visits among national parks in 2020 with 12.1 million.
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