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Contact: Mary Wilson, 435-719-2140
The Southeast Utah Group of the National Park Service (Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Hovenweep and Natural Bridges National Monuments) is joining national parks across the country in waiving entrance fees several days in 2016 as a way to encourage people to get outdoors and spend time with their friends and family in the national parks this year. Martin Luther King, Jr.Day National Park Service Birthday Weekend VeteransDay Park visitors are reminded that the fee free designation applies to entrance fees only and does not affect fees for camping, reservations, tours or other special uses. Visitors to the Southeast Utah Group of parks can enjoy a wide range of activities such as hiking, photography, driving scenic front country and more rugged backcountry roads, visiting ancient cultural sites, and strolling along pathways that lead to whimsical rock formations and breath-taking desert vistas. As the National Park Service prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2016, visitors (new, returning, and local) are encouraged to get out and discover (or rediscover) parks and get to know them on a deeper level than ever before. Explore new areas, learn new stories, try new activities, or experience the parks at a different time of day or during a new season. Park Rangers offer the below tips for enjoying the parks in new and fun ways, and encourage adults to especially share the magic of the parks with children. Some ways to experience Canyonlands that you may not have before include: finding a quiet overlook and making a sketch of what you see;packing some warm clothes, flashlight, and sense of adventure and visiting a favorite spot after dark to lie on your back and count shooting stars;walking back in time on the Neck Spring trail (Island in the Sky District) by imagining yourself as an early rancher in the area;or, seeking solitude on an overnight trip into the rugged backcountry of the park. If you find yourself headed to Arches, here are some tips from rangers about how to experience the park away from the crowds: grab your headlamp and a snack, arrive at the park before dawn and hike along a favorite trail…..then stop for a quiet breakfast among the towering red rock walls;travel to the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint and watch the sun creep Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Hovenweep and Natural Bridges National Monuments will host special Centennial events during 2016, which will be advertised on the parks' official websites (see below). Centennial activities across the country (including parks in the Southeast Utah Group) will also be posted on the NPS Centennial Activities page found at: http://findyourpark.com/find#centennial_events General information about the NPS Centennial is available at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/centennial/index.htm . |
Last updated: January 5, 2016