Free Admission at National Parks This Weekend

(Updated Friday at 2 p.m.) WASHINGTON, DC — America's national parks unlock the gates this weekend with free admission to some of the country's most unique natural treasures. This family-friendly freebie is in honor of National Park Week.

Billed as America's largest celebration of national heritage, your entire family can enjoy any national park free of charge on Saturday April 22 and Sunday April 23. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.) Many people took advantage of the free admission last weekend.

Look into the eyes of a gator at Everglades National Park near Miami, hike the Grand Canyon in Arizona or break into San Francisco's Alcatraz Island. Every national park is free.

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Out of the 417 national parks in the U.S., 59 sites include “National Park” as part of their proper name such as Acadia, Everglades, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone.

You can find a complete searchable listing of national parks based on state, region or park name.

Here are some highlights of National Park Week:

• April 22 is Earth Day. You can join a volunteer project or simply enjoy the natural wonders and wildlife preserved in national parks.
• April 23 is Park Rx Day. You'll find ranger-led programs or you can simply enjoy a healthy activity with family and friends. Learn more about Park Rx Day.

Here's a list of participating national parks by state that plan to waive entrance fees:

Alaska
Denali National Park & Preserve

Arizona
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Grand Canyon National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Petrified Forest National Park
Pipe Spring National Monument
Saguaro National Park
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Tonto National Monument
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Tuzigoot National Monument
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Wupatki National Monument

Arkansas
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Pea Ridge National Military Park

California
Cabrillo National Monument
Death Valley National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lava Beds National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument
Pinnacles National Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Yosemite National Park

Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Colorado National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Mesa Verde National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park

Florida
Canaveral National Seashore
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Gulf Islands National Seashore

Georgia
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Fort Pulaski National Monument

Hawaii
Haleakalā National Park
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve
Yellowstone National Park

Indiana
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Maine
Acadia National Park

Maryland
Antietam National Battlefield
Assateague Island National Seashore
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Fort Washington Park
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Massachusetts
Adams National Historical Park
Cape Cod National Seashore

Michigan
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Minnesota
Pipestone National Monument

Mississippi
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Vicksburg National Military Park

Missouri
Harry S. Truman National Historic Site
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

Montana
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Glacier National Park
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Yellowstone National Park

Nebraska
Scotts Bluff National Monument

Nevada
Death Valley National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area

New Hampshire
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

New Jersey
Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Morristown National Historical Park

New Mexico
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Bandelier National Monument
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
White Sands National Monument

New York
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

North Carolina
Wright Brothers National Memorial

North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Ohio
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial

Oklahoma
Fort Smith National Historic Site

Oregon
Crater Lake National Park
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park

Pennsylvania
Steamtown National Historic Site

Puerto Rico
San Juan National Historic Site

South Carolina
Fort Sumter National Monument

South Dakota
Badlands National Park
Jewel Cave National Monument

Tennessee
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Texas
Big Bend National Park
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Padre Island National Seashore

Utah
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Natural Bridges National Monument
Zion National Park

Virgin Islands
Christiansted National Historic Site

Virginia
Assateague Island National Seashore
Colonial National Historical Park
George Washington Memorial Parkway's Great Falls Park
Prince William Forest Park
Shenandoah National Park

Washington
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Olympic National Park

West Virginia
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Wyoming
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Devils Tower National Monument
Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park

Watch Video on National Park Week:

Photo from Everglades National Park by Paul Scicchitano