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The Hill
10 hours ago
- The Hill
You can get into over 100 national parks for free on one day in August
(NEXSTAR) — For one day only in August, you can get into any of our national parks for free. There are seven such days throughout the year in which free admission is offered to everyone at National Park Service sites that typically charge an entrance fee. This year, those dates include January 9, which was a National Day of Mourning for President Jimmy Carter; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 20; April 19, to commemorate National Park Week; and June 19 for Juneteenth. Monday, August 4, marks five years since President Donald Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act. Ever since, parks that otherwise charge entrance fees have waived their cover charge. Fees are still required for overnight camping, cabin rentals, transportation, group day use, and use of special areas. Teen suffers 'significant thermal burns' at Yellowstone National Park After Monday, the next scheduled free entrance days are September 27, for National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day, on November 11. Which national parks charge entrance fees? Of the 475 sites within NPS's purview, 106 require an entrance pass. In some cases, the fee applies only at certain times. For example, between early June and the end of October, there is no per-person cost to get into Adams National Historical Park. Others may charge only by vehicle rather than per-person fees. Below are the national parks that would otherwise charge you to get in, but won't be on Monday, according to NPS. Acadia National Park Death Valley National Park Hovenweep National Monument Rocky Mountain National Park Antietam National Battlefield Denali National Park & Preserve Indiana Dunes National Park Saguaro National Park Arches National Park Devils Tower National Monument Isle Royale National Park Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park Assateague Island National Seashore Dinosaur National Monument Joshua Tree National Park San Juan National Historic Site Bandelier National Monument Dry Tortugas National Park Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Big Bend National Park Everglades National Park Lake Mead National Recreation Area Shenandoah National Park Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Lassen Volcanic National Park Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Bryce Canyon National Park Fort Davis National Historic Site Lava Beds National Monument Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Cabrillo National Monument Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Theodore Roosevelt National Park Canaveral National Seashore Fort Pulaski National Monument Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Thomas Edison National Historical Park Canyonlands National Park Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site Tonto National Monument Cape Cod National Seashore Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Mesa Verde National Park Tumacácori National Historical Park Capitol Reef National Park Glacier National Park Montezuma Castle National Monument Tuzigoot National Monument Capulin Volcano National Monument Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Mount Rainier National Park Valles Caldera National Preserve Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Golden Spike National Historical Park Natural Bridges National Monument Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site Cedar Breaks National Monument Grand Canyon National Park Olympic National Park Vicksburg National Military Park Chaco Culture National Historical Park Grand Teton National Park Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Walnut Canyon National Monument Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Great Falls Park Padre Island National Seashore Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial White Sands National Park Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park Guadalupe Mountains National Park Petrified Forest National Park Wright Brothers National Memorial Christiansted National Historic Site Gulf Islands National Seashore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Wupatki National Monument Colonial National Historical Park Haleakalā National Park Pinnacles National Park Yellowstone National Park Colorado National Monument Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Pipe Spring National Monument Yorktown Battlefield Part of Colonial National Historical Park Crater Lake National Park Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Prince William Forest Park Yosemite National Park Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park Zion National Park Cumberland Island National Seashore Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River Some of these parks may require reservations, including a parking pass. You'll want to check the requirements for the park you're visiting before heading out. Why do some national parks charge entrance fees? While it's true that your federal income taxes do, in a way, fund the National Park Service, your contributions are relatively small in comparison to the agency's needs. Entrance fees are used to 'enhance visitor experience' under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. 'At least 80 percent of funding from recreation fees stays in the park where it is collected, and the other 20 percent is used to benefit parks that do not collect fees or parks which generate only a small amount of revenue,' the National Park Service explains. Fees are established based on a structure the agency uses that 'simplifies and standardizes entrance fees across parks of similar types.' Rocky Mountain and Zion, for example, are both large and well-visited parks that have park-specific annual passes of $70, a per-vehicle fee of $35, a per-person fee of $20, and a per-motorcycle fee of $30. Many parks also explain how they use the entrance fee funds. At Death Valley, for example, revenue from entrance fees has been used to design Braille park brochures, repair damages at a beloved feature, and support custodians and emergency medical services.
USA Today
16-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Who was John Lewis? The civil rights icon inspires 'Good Trouble' protests
Tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out across the country this week to protest President Donald Trump's administration and to honor the legacy of one of the nation's most enduring figureheads in the fight for social justice, John Lewis. The protests, "Good Trouble Lives On," are expected to take place in dozens of cities and towns on July 17, five years to the day since Lewis' death in 2020. The late congressman, who led some of the most seminal demonstrations during the Civil Rights movement, popularized the phrase "good trouble," referring to the kind of nonviolent action and civil disobedience he became known for early in his career. The late 17-term congressman was often called the 'moral compass'' of the U.S. House of Representatives, but he made a name for himself long before he became a lawmaker, as one of the youngest leaders in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Lewis' biography as a civil rights activist and lawmaker is a long one, involving some of the most significant U.S. political events and figures of the mid-20th century. Here's a brief overview of his past, as planned protests invoke his legacy on July 17. 'Good Trouble' protest locations: See where demonstrations are planned Where was John Lewis born? Lewis is the son of Alabama sharecroppers, born in Troy, Pike County, Alabama on February 21, 1940. Lewis began preaching in local churches when he was 15 years old, according to a biography from Stanford's Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. He then enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville after high school. Lewis first met Martin Luther King Jr. in 1958, when he traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, to seek King's help in suing to transfer to Troy State University, an all-white institution closer to his home, according to the institute. Though he ended up not pursuing the litigation, the experience connected Lewis with King and other Black Civil Rights leaders and gave him his nickname, 'the boy from Troy." Inspired to 'get in good trouble again:' Black lawmakers salute the legacy of John Lewis What did John Lewis do during the Civil Rights movement? As a leader in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Lewis challenged Jim Crow segregation across the South, participating in and leading many nonviolent protests. "Lewis became heavily involved in the Nashville movement and participated in a series of student sit-ins in early 1960 that aimed to integrate movie theaters, restaurants, and other businesses," the MLK Research and Education Institute said, "In April 1960, he helped form SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and later participated in the Freedom Rides of 1961." During this time, he rose to prominence within the movement, as chronicled by the National Archives and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Archives. He was among a group who met with Kennedy in 1963 ahead of the historic March on Washington, and addressed the many thousands who descended upon the National Mall that day before King took the stage to deliver his 'I Have a Dream Speech.' John Lewis' involvement in 'Bloody Sunday' in Selma, Alabama Among all demonstrations and actions, he is perhaps most known for his involvement in what would be called "Bloody Sunday." Lewis helped lead hundreds of peaceful protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965 in support of equal voting rights for Black Americans. The protesters, including a then-25-year-old Lewis, where beaten back brutally by state troopers. Lewis suffered a fractured skull, and many others were injured by deployed gas, clubs, whips, and other weapons wielded by police. The brutal attack galvanized public support for the movement and is seen as a pivotal precursor to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Until his health failed, Lewis had led an annual bipartisan congressional pilgrimage to Selma to mark that anniversary. He stopped by the pilgrimage months before his death. What was John Lewis' political legacy as a Democratic congressman from Georgia? In 1987, Lewis was elected to represent Georgia's 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, often taking the lead on debates and legislation connected to civil rights and social justice, becoming known as the "conscience of the Congress," according to the National Archives. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she learned a lot from Lewis during their 30 years serving together in Congress. Pelosi said ''he taught us through words and action what true moral leadership looked like,' while members of the Congressional Black Caucus told USA TODAY that Lewis inspired them to continue the push for civil rights. Lewis was an ally to Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and was an outspoken critic of the invasion and subsequent years-long war in Iraq. He also became a leading voice against gun violence and advocated for gun control legislation prominently following the shooting of former Rep. Gabby Giffords. "We have been too quiet for too long,'' Lewis said during a 2016 sit-in in the House chambers over gun control legislation. 'There comes a time when you have to say something, when you have to make a little noise, when you have to move your feet. This is the time.' Contributing: Deborah Barfield Berry and Susan Page, USA TODAY. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What is Confederate Memorial Day and what is closed for the state-recognized holiday?
ALABAMA (WHNT) — The fourth Monday in April is a state-recognized holiday, meaning state offices and courts are closed. Today, April 28, is what is known as Confederate Memorial Day. Alabama is one of only a few states that have an official holiday recognizing the 250,000 Confederate Soldiers who lost their lives. State offices, including state courts and ALEA offices, are closed to observe the holiday. However, mail will still run and federal offices will remain open. If you are looking to get your STAR ID ahead of the nationwide May 7 enforcement date, ALEA offices will serve customers beginning back on Tuesday, April 29. The confederate memorial holiday dates back to just one year after the war in Georgia. The day is one of three Confederate-related state holidays celebrated in Alabama. The state jointly observes Robert E. Lee Day with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January and the birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis which is observed in June. First celebrated in 1865, Confederate Memorial Day was made a state holiday in Alabama in 1901, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama is one of the only few states in the U.S. that still recognizes confederate holidays. Mississippi and Florida observe it in April and South Carolina observes it in May. Texas has its own version, calling it Confederate Heroes Day, observed in June. In 2023, Alabama State Sen. Vivian Davis Figures sponsored a bill that would separate the celebration of Lee and King, HB360. It was rejected in committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
You can get into over 100 national parks for free on Saturday: What to know
(NEXSTAR) — Of the more than 400 sites overseen by the National Park Service, slightly more than 100 charge an entrance fee. For one day this weekend, none of those parks will require you to pay to get in. Every year, the National Park Service waives the entrance fee at the 107 parks that charge one in honor of a significant day. One such day already occurred this year: January 20, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (a second, unplanned free day was on January 9, the National Day of Mourning for President Jimmy Carter). On Saturday, we'll have another: the first day of National Park Week. Why do some national parks charge an entrance fee? While you will be able to get into the parks without paying an entrance fee, NPS notes you may still need to pay a timed entry or reservation fee. After Sunday, there are four other free entrance days with NPS: June 19, for Juneteenth National Independence Day; August 4, honoring the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act; September 27, for National Public Lands Day; and November 11, for Veterans Day. In honor of National Park Week, NPS is also encouraging visitors to volunteer at their parks, as many are also celebrating National Volunteer Week. If you're planning to visit a national park this weekend or this summer, experts are encouraging you to pack your patience and plan ahead. While the Trump administration has called for the national parks to remain open despite staffing struggles this year, park advocates say the situation could be less than ideal. Planning to visit these national parks? You may need to make a reservation to get in 'It's not going to be great out there this year,' Jonathan Jarvis, the 18th director of the National Park Service, recently told Nexstar. 'It's going to be a disappointment, I think, to the public, and a potential impact to the resources.' Some parks have had to cancel events, Jarvis noted, while others may experience disruptions to ranger-led events and safety programs. He recommended visitors 'come more prepared to take care of themselves' by bringing the 10 essentials and being prepared to 'self-rescue if necessary.' Earlier this month, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed national parks to 'remain open and accessible' and said officials will ensure proper staffing to do so. The order also calls for a detailed review of each park's operating hours, trail closures and other limits on visitor services. The national parks saw a record 331.8 million recreational visits in 2024, surpassing the previous record of 330.9 million set in 2016. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
15-04-2025
- The Hill
You can get into over 100 national parks for free on Saturday: What to know
(NEXSTAR) — Of the more than 400 sites overseen by the National Park Service, slightly more than 100 charge an entrance fee. For one day this weekend, none of those parks will require you to pay to get in. Every year, the National Park Service waives the entrance fee at the 107 parks that charge one in honor of a significant day. One such day already occurred this year: January 20, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (a second, unplanned free day was on January 9, the National Day of Mourning for President Jimmy Carter). On Saturday, we'll have another: the first day of National Park Week. Why do some national parks charge an entrance fee? While you will be able to get into the parks without paying an entrance fee, NPS notes you may still need to pay a timed entry or reservation fee. After Sunday, there are four other free entrance days with NPS: June 19, for Juneteenth National Independence Day; August 4, honoring the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act; September 27, for National Public Lands Day; and November 11, for Veterans Day. In honor of National Park Week, NPS is also encouraging visitors to volunteer at their parks, as many are also celebrating National Volunteer Week. If you're planning to visit a national park this weekend or this summer, experts are encouraging you to pack your patience and plan ahead. While the Trump administration has called for the national parks to remain open despite staffing struggles this year, park advocates say the situation could be less than ideal. Planning to visit these national parks? You may need to make a reservation to get in 'It's not going to be great out there this year,' Jonathan Jarvis, the 18th director of the National Park Service, recently told Nexstar. 'It's going to be a disappointment, I think, to the public, and a potential impact to the resources.' Some parks have had to cancel events, Jarvis noted, while others may experience disruptions to ranger-led events and safety programs. He recommended visitors 'come more prepared to take care of themselves' by bringing the 10 essentials and being prepared to 'self-rescue if necessary.' Earlier this month, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed national parks to 'remain open and accessible' and said officials will ensure proper staffing to do so. The order also calls for a detailed review of each park's operating hours, trail closures and other limits on visitor services. The national parks saw a record 331.8 million recreational visits in 2024, surpassing the previous record of 330.9 million set in 2016.
