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Contact: Penny Wagner, 360-565-3005
WASHINGTON – The National Park Service announced today that the public will be invited to experience all national parks, including Olympic National Park, without entrance fees, on four days in 2018.
The 2018 entrance fee-free days are:
“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.”
The Hurricane Ridge Road is scheduled to be open for the holiday on Monday, January 15, in addition to its normally scheduled days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Weather permitting, the road is scheduled to open at 9:00 a.m. and close to uphill traffic at 4:00 p.m. Hurricane Ridge is subject to high winds and heavy snow during the winter and the road’s opening is always dependent on current road and weather conditions. For up to date information about road opening times and conditions, please call the park’s recorded Road & Weather Hotline at 360-565-3131 or follow @HRWinterAccess on Twitter.
The entrance fee for Olympic National Park is $25 per vehicle. The entrance fee waiver does not cover camping or special tours such as guided snowshoe walks. Normally, 118 of the 417 national parks charge an entrance fee. The other 299 national parks do not have entrance fees.
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.
Last year, Olympic National Park had more than 3.3 million visitors. Those visitors spent $286,786,300 in local communities which helped to support 3,842 jobs.
For more information about visiting Olympic National Park, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/olym.
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. |
Last updated: December 14, 2017