Free Admission to All 397 National Parks Starts This Saturday

Caroline Costello's travel accomplishments include surviving a 2 a.m. whitewater rafting excursion in the Canadian wilderness, successfully biking from Dusseldorf to Cologne without a map, and gaining access to a covert pizza speakeasy in New Orleans.

Caroline is an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). Her work has appeared on USA Today, the Boston Globe, AOL.com, MSNBC.com, ABC News, TODAY Travel, and CruiseCritic.com, among other publications.

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Is there a better way to kick off spring than taking a trek through an ancient petrified forest or going butterfly watching on a mangrove island? Yes: Go there for free!

National Park Week starts this Saturday, April 21, and lasts through April 29. During this time, admission is free to all 397 U.S. national parks.

Some national parks never charge entrance fees. For example, admission to Great Smoky Mountains National park costs zilch. But at parks that do charge to get in, you could save a nice chunk of cash if you visit next week.

In addition to free admission, many national parks are offering special programs in honor of the event. Check out the National Park Event Calendar to see what’s going on at your local park.

Do you plan to take advantage of National Park Week?

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(Photo: Shutterstock/Laurent Lucuix)

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