Free day at the national parks: Pitch in on National Public Lands Day

MAJOR VOLUNTEER EFFORTS, the kind of uplifting occasions that find thousands of give-backers sharing a single, hope-filled, and future-forward vision, happen with a rather fantastic frequency around the Golden State. California Coastal Cleanup Day, a massive tidy-up presented by the California Coastal Commission, took place on Sept. 21 in 2024, with thousands of people gathering to gather litter at our state's beaches, urban waterways, lakes, rivers, and greenways. But you won't have to wait long for another join-together, help-out happening to pop up in some glorious natural settings: National Public Lands Day, another major volunteer event, is the fourth Saturday in September. And if you know your National Park Service free-entry days, you know that the entrance fee will be waived at fee-charging parks Sept. 28.

SEVERAL STUNNING SPOTS, including Yosemite National Park, will have various opportunities for dedicated people seeking to use a little elbow grease. The Yosemite National Park Facelift, a five-day clean-up extravaganza presented by the Yosemite Climbing Association, begins Sept. 25, but other destinations across California and far beyond will host pitch-in events on National Public Lands Day or throughout the final weekend of September. The day "... is organized annually and led by the National Environmental Education Foundation, in partnership with the National Park Service and other federal agencies." This page has volunteer suggestions, and a link to Volunteer.gov, if you'd like to check out the latest list of upcoming cleanups. Of course, plenty of people observe the day by stopping by a favorite park to hike, savor the sights, and reflect. For more on the important occasion, and all of the National Park Service Free Entrance Days, hike by this helpful site now.