Free Entrance to National Parks Next Weekend, July 18-19

The feds are letting us into national parks for free July 18-19, and, mark your calendars, the weekend of August 15-16 also.

Here’s some reasons why, courtesy of USA Today:

“During these tough economic times, our national parks provide opportunities for affordable vacations for families,” [Interior Secretary Ken] Salazar said at a news conference at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. “I encourage everyone to visit one of our nation’s crown jewels this summer and especially to take advantage of the three free-admission weekends.”

Most Americans live less than a day’s drive from a national park, Salazar said. Last year, national parks attracted more than 275 million visits, generating an estimated $10.6 billion for local economies and supporting more than 213,000 jobs, he said.

For the Park Service, the free weekends will mean a loss of an estimated half-million dollars a day from entrance fees that range from $3 to $25. A total of 147 parks and monuments charge entrance fees; the nation’s other 244 parks are already free.

There are lots of trails for hikers in nearly all of these parks, so take advantage of your government’s largesse and do some hiking in some gorgeous country.

Merced River/Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park. (Courtesy National Park Service)