There’s a passport to get you out of the country to travel the world, but did you know that there’s a National Parks passport too? Granted, you don’t exactly need it to go see any one of this country’s amazingly beautiful national parks, but The Passport to Your National Parks is a 104-page spiral notebook that gives information on the parks including maps, photographs and other illustrations. It will inspire you to get out, travel and fill it up!
Imagine visiting Utah’s Arches National Park which has more than 2000 stone arches, including Delicate Arch, a red freestanding structure. Hike to the top of Glacier Point at Yosemite National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. Visit Death Valley the hottest, driest national park in the United States.
When you visit a park on the list, go into the gift shop (or a designated place on the property) and get your passport stamped with a cancellation stamp (similar to an international passport) that has the date and time of your visit. There’s a kid’s version of the Passport that teaches them, in language they can understand, about the parks.
Plan to visit the parks that are located near your home first, if you can, and then branch out and start to visit the parks around the country. Collect your cancellation stamps along the way.
There are several free entrance days to the park several times a year. The remaining days in 2017 are:
February 20: Presidents’ Day
April 15-16 and 22-23: Weekends of National Park Week
August 25: National Park Service Birthday
September 30: National Public Lands Day
November 11-12: Veterans Day Weekend
The National Park Service, responsible for taking care of our national parks, turned 100 in 2016 and, if you haven’t visited the parks yet, or it’s been awhile since you’ve walked in the parks, make sure to schedule some visitation this year. The National Park Service, responsible for taking care of our national parks, turned 100 in 2016 and, if you haven’t visited the parks yet, or it’s been awhile, now is a great time to get out and see some of the most beautiful sites this country has to offer. Your passport starts at $9.95. There are also stamps to buy for each region as well. Have fun with this. The passport program is a great way to preserve memories of your trips – it’s like a scrapbook.
Travel Makers MD