Visit a National Park and Build Family Memories
July is National Park and Recreation Month. Make plans to celebrate America's treasured parks! You can discover amazing places, discover stories of history and culture, and even volunteer when you explore a national park near you!
According to the National Parks website, the National Park System encompasses 423 national park sites in the United States. They span across more than 84 million acres, with parks in each state and extending into the territories, including parks in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. California has the most national parks but Georgia has 15 National Park Service areas.
Park Passes, Free days and Discounts
Entrance Fees - Normally, 118 of America's 423 areas in the National Park System charge an entrance fee that ranges from $3 to $30.
Park Passes - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass gets you into some 2,000 recreation sites. A pass covers entrance, standard amenity fees and day use fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas (or up to four adults at sites that charge per person). Children ages 15 or under are admitted free.
- Annual Pass = $80 America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass
- ALL Fourth-Grade Students: FREE ANNUAL PASS through the Every Kid in a Park program
- Military Pass is FREE for current members of the U.S. Military and their dependents, as well as military veterans.
- Senior Pass = $80 lifetime pass or $20 annual pass
- Access Pass = FREE for individuals with permanent disabilities.
How to purchase: Visit the National Park Service to find out how to purchase the pass that is right for you.
The five Free Entrance Days for 2022 will be:
- January 21: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- April 16: First Day of National Park Week
- August 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- September 24: National Public Lands Day
- November 11: Veterans Day Weekend
Note: The entrance fee waiver does not cover amenity or user fees for things like camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.
Georgia has 15 areas in the National Park Service:
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES
Andersonville Civil War Prison & Cemetery- Andersonville
Jimmy Carter Museum & Train Depot- Plains
Martin Luther King Center, home & Ebenezer Baptist Church- Atlanta
NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS
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Arabia Mountain- Lithonia
Augusta Canal- Augusta
Gullah Geechee Cultural Center- Sapelo Island and Riceboro
NATIONAL TRAILS
Appalachian Scenic Trail- Dawsonville
Trail of Tears- Echota Center - Calhoun
MONUMENTS
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Fort Frederica- St Simon's Island
Fort Pulaski- Savannah
Ocmulgee Burial Mounds- Macon
MILITARY PARKS
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Chickamauga & Chattanooga Park- Fort Oglethorpe
Kennesaw Mountain Battlefields- Kennesaw
NATIONAL RECREATION AREAS
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The Chattahoochee River offers miles of hiking, wild life spotting, river rafting "shoot the hooch", fishing and so much more.
NATIONAL SEASHORE
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Cumberland Island is a pristine island off the coast of Georgia known for wild horses and the wedding place of John F. Kennedy Junior and home to members of the Carnegie family. You can go camping on the island or enjoy a stay at the historic Greyfield Inn built by the Carnegies.
There are also over 60 Georgia State Parks to explore! Click HERE for a map and descriptions of each.
