News Release

Mesa Verde to Offer Free Admission on Five Days in 2019

Date: November 20, 2018
Contact: Cristy Brown, 970-529-4608

The National Park Service has announced the fee free days for 2019. On these days, the public is invited to experience all national park units, including Mesa Verde National Park, without entrance fees.

The five entrance fee-free days for 2019 will be:
•Monday, January 21 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
•Saturday, April 20 – Start of National Park Week/National Junior Ranger Day
•Sunday, August 25 – National Park Service Anniversary
•Saturday, September 28 – National Public Lands Day
•Monday, November 11 – Veterans Day

"We truly enjoy the opportunity to offer free admission to Mesa Verde,” said Superintendent Cliff Spencer. “From annual pass holders to those who have never visited Mesa Verde, we encourage everyone to take advantage of these great opportunities to visit your park."

Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.

The entrance fee waiver does not cover camping or tours.

The National Park System includes more than 85 million acres and is comprised of 418 sites, including national parks, national historical parks, national monuments, national recreation areas, national battlefields, and national seashores.  Of the 418 NPS units, only 115 have an entrance fee. Last year, 331 million people visited national parks spending $18.2 billion which supported 306,000 jobs across the country and had a $35.8 billion impact on the U.S. economy.
 
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. There are also free or discounted passes available for senior citizens, current members of the military, families of fourth grade students, and disabled citizens.
 

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