Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is traditionally the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort. It celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits. National Public Lands Day falls on September 23, 2023.
Volunteer
Help care for your national parks by volunteering during a one-time event or on a reoccurring basis.
Join the #RecreateResponsibly Movement
Learn how to model best practices to protect America's treasures while looking out for each other's health and safety.
Designed by the National Park Service
About National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day is organized annually and led by the National Environmental Education Foundation, in partnership with the National Park Service and other federal agencies. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers roll up their sleeves to help restore and preserve public lands of all types and sizes—from iconic national parks and rivers to local urban green spaces and everything in between. National Public Lands Day is special because it provides all lovers of the environment—old and new—an opportunity to show our appreciation for these unique places.
Get Involved
There are many ways to participate in National Public Lands Day. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to #RecreateResponsibly!
- Visit a national park for free.
- Take part in a volunteer work project. Certain in-park projects may provide a fee-free day coupon to be used on a future date. See the list of National Public Lands Day events below or check out all volunteer events at national parks.
- Have fun and enjoy the health benefits of being outdoors!
- Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media channels with the hashtag #NPLD and #NPSVolunteer!
NPS / Juliana Luna
Events in National Parks
Volunteer your time at one of the events listed below. To see what's available, select the month of September on the calendar. Check out Volunteer.gov for more volunteer events at national parks.
In the News
Text Alternative for the National Public Lands Day Infographic
Title : “How will you celebrate national public lands day?”
Top of chart begins with: “Start” to “Are you outdoorsy?”
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If “Yes”, then “Adventurous?”
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If “Yes”, then “Which is more rewarding to you?”
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If “Spending time outdoors”, then “Visit a national park for free.”
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If “Giving back”, then “Volunteer on NPLD service project & recieve a free national park one day pass.”
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If “Both”, then “How often do you go on social media sites?”
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If “Everyday”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD."
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If “Not very often”, then ““Volunteer on NPLD service project & recieve a free national park one day pass.”
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If “No”, then “Do you like hands-on projects?”
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If “Love them”, then ‘Any plans for the weekend?”
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If “Nope”, then “Volunteer on NPLD service project & recieve a free national park one day pass.”
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If “Yup”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”
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If “Not really”, then “When's the last time you went outside?”
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If “I can't remember”, then “Time to visit a national park for free.”
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If “Earlier today”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”
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If “Sort of”, then “Do you like hands on projects?”
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If “No”, then “Do you like hands on projects?”
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If “Love them”, then ‘Any plans for the weekend?”
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If “Nope”, then “Volunteer on NPLD service project & recieve a free national park one day pass.”
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If “Yup”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”
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If “Not really”, then “When's the last time you went outside?”
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If “I can't remember”, then “Time to visit a national park for free.”
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If “Earlier today”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”
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If “No”, then “When's the last time you went outside??”
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If “I can't remember”, then “Time to visit a national park for free.”
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If “Earlier today”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”
Return to place on the webpage to continue to the next section.
Last updated: December 8, 2022