National Park Service Arrowhead (courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_Service)
WASHINGTON – The National Park Service turns 100 years old in 2016 and wants everyone to celebrate! All national parks, including Joshua Tree National Park will waive entrance fees on 16 special days in 2016.
The 16 entrance fee-free days for 2016 will be:
- January 18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- April 16-24 – National Park Week
- August 25-28 – National Park Service Birthday Weekend
- September 24 – National Public Lands Day
- November 11 – Veterans Day
Superintendent, David Smith said, “We are committed to ensuring that all Americans have a chance to enjoy their National Parks – regardless of ability to pay. We recognize that entry fees can be a barrier to some of our park users and are pleased that we have been allowed some flexibility in regularly suspending entry fees.”
Joshua Tree National Park usually has an entrance fee of $20 per car. The entrance fee waiver does not cover campsite fees, Key’s Ranch Tours or special use events. Annual passes for Joshua Tree are $30 per car and provide a full year of park access.
While the 2015 numbers have not been released yet, Joshua Tree National Park had 1.6 million visitors in 2014. Those visitors spent $74 million dollars in local communities and helped to support 1030 jobs.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 409 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.
For more information visit, www.gov/jotr, or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook at JoshuaTreeNPS.