Free Entrance on Veterans Day at Redwood National and State Parks

Date: November 9, 2010
Contact: Candace Tinkler, 707-465-7304

In honor of the service and sacrifices of veterans, all national parks across America will waive entrance fees on Veterans Day, November 11, 2010. As part of the larger national effort, Redwood National and State Parks will also waive the day use entry fee into Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks.

Veterans Day is the last of 2010's fee-free days in Redwood National and State Parks and throughout the National Park System. Other fees, such as campground use fees, will still apply.

Take advantage of the coincidence of free entry at your parks and the Veterans Day holiday to enjoy lands that our veterans have kept safe for us. National parks and the three state park units within Redwood National and State Parks offer fun for visitors of all abilities and interests. Here are some suggestions for fun for all ages:

• Take a hike! Gather some friends and the kids and explore the brand new Berry Glen Trail in Redwood National Park, just north of Orick, California. (Hint: take two cars and stage one at Elk Meadow Parking lot along Hwy. 101, shuttle up to the Lady Bird Johnson trailhead, then hike back down a winding 3 miles full of beautiful views of old-growth forest to your car.)
• Go on a photo safari! Now is a good time to view Roosevelt elk, one of the largest members of the deer family. Several large bulls with impressive antlers can be seen in the parks each fall as they compete for the attention of cow elk during mating season. A bull (male) elk's antlers may reach 4 feet above its head, so that the animal towers 9 feet tall. Amazing! They are seen primarily south of the Klamath River in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Gold Bluffs Beach, along the Bald Hills Road, and in the meadows adjacent to Enderts Beach Road near Crescent City. Be careful: elk are wild and unpredictable animals. Always observe them at a safe distance.
• Have a whale of a time! November is one of the peak migration months for viewing gray whales (as well as December and March - April.) Bring your binoculars and watch for their spouting. Good viewing spots within Redwood National and State Parks include: Klamath River Overlook, Crescent Beach Overlook, Wilson Creek, High Bluff Overlook, Gold Bluffs Beach, and the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center.  

The National Park System provides a web site to help plan your national park adventures at www.nps.gov. California State Parks also has a web site to help you in planning to visit the array of opportunities available to you in the state park system. That web address is www.parks.ca.gov.

This news release can also be viewed, downloaded, and/or printed here (PDF, 34 KB)