Grand Canyon National Park will kick off National Park Week with a weekend of Earth Day activities and then will join national park units around the country in waiving entrance fees on April 22 – 26, 2013.
The fee-free celebration of National Park Week begins today. Visitors who arrive at the Grand Canyon April 22 – 26 will be allowed to enter the park free of charge. Those who plan to spend time in the park beyond April 26 will need to pay the regular entrance fee for the remainder of their stay.
“This year’s National Park Week theme, ‘Did you know…’, provides a fun way to discover the wonders of America’s national parks,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis.
According to Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga, “Oh, there are some wonderful ‘Did you knows…’ at Grand Canyon! For instance, did you know the oldest rocks at Grand Canyon are estimated to be about 1.8 billion years old? Did you know Grand Canyon was once a designated forest reserve, and then a game preserve? Did you know that the oldest human artifact found at Grand Canyon is about 12,000 years old? The staff here at Grand Canyon National Park encourage everyone to take advantage of National Park Week to visit one of their national parks free of charge and see what ‘Did you knows…’ they can discover.”
Park visitors are reminded that the fee-free designation applies to entrance fees only and does not affect fees for camping, reservations, tours or use of concessions. Park entrance stations will have Interagency Senior and Annual Passes available for those who wish to purchase them.