Salt Flat, Texas – The National Park Service announced today that the public will be invited to experience all national parks, including Guadalupe Mountains National Park, without entrance fees, on four days in 2018.
The 2018 entrance fee-free days are:
•January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
•April 21: First Day of National Park Week
•September 22: National Public Lands Day
•November 11: Veterans Day
“National parks connect all of us with our country’s amazing nature, culture and history,” said National Park Service Deputy Director Michael T. Reynolds. “The days that we designate as fee free for national parks mark opportunities for the public to participate in service projects, enjoy ranger-led programs, or just spend time with family and friends exploring these diverse and special places. We hope that these fee-free days offer visitors an extra incentive to enjoy their national parks in 2018.”
Guadalupe Mountains National Park protects and interprets the world’s most extensive Permian fossil reef, the four highest peaks in Texas, an environmentally diverse collection of flora and fauna, and the stories of lives shaped through conflict, cooperation and survival in a place that still inspires challenge, reflection and self-reliance today.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park has an entrance fee of $5.00 per person, ages 16 and older. The entrance fee waiver does not cover front country camping at Pine Springs and Dog Canyon campgrounds.
In 2016, Guadalupe Mountains National Park welcomed 181,839 visitors. Those visitors spent $11.2 million in local communities which helped to support 169 jobs.
Normally, 118 of the 417 national parks charge an entrance fee. The other 299 national parks do not have entrance fees. The entrance fee waiver for the fee-free days does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.
The annual $80 America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass allows unlimited entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including all national parks that charge an entrance fee. There are also free or discounted passes available for senior citizens, current members of the military, families of fourth grade students, and disabled citizens.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
