From April 22nd to April 30th, the National Park Service will host its annual celebration of the country’s more than 400 national parks.
The celebration begins on Saturday – Earth Day – when entrance fees will be waived at all parks. According to the NPS, this is to encourage visitors to enjoy their national parks in person.
Throughout the nine-day celebration, many national parks across the country have planned a number of events and activities for each day.
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One example is Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, which will host a free Geology Talk on April 23rd to teach park visitors about the geologic story of the canyon. With rocks up to 1.8 billion years old, this natural wonder of the world has a great story to tell.
Additionally, Biscayne National Park in Florida will host its Ranger Program from April 23rd to April 28th. The program allows visitors to hear park rangers talk about historical and natural topics regarding the park, which is home to manatees, sea turtles and many other types of wildlife.
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On April 29th, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Tennessee will host its annual Spring Planting and Music Festival. The festival honors springtime traditions and forgotten arts of the Cumberland Plateau, such as blacksmithing and mountain music.
Many more events and activities are planned throughout the more than 400 national parks across the country.
As part of the celebration, National Park Week will also include an initiative called “Your Park Story.”
The NPS is asking its staff and visitors to share their special connections with places in the national parks, along with the communities where the NPS has programs and partners, online by tagging their posts with #MyParkStory.
The NPS has even suggested story themes for each day of National Park Week to give storytellers some inspiration:
More information on “Your Park Story” and all National Park Week events and activities can be found on the NPS National Park Week page.