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National Park Week

From April 22 – 30, 2023, the National Park Foundation, National Park Service, and parks across the country come together to celebrate our most treasured places.
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  • Discover
    From scenic vistas to renowned historic sites – there are over 400 national park sites to explore and learn about! Make National Park Week the time you visit a park new to you. Learn more about national parks and plan your next trip.
  • Share
    Our national parks are powerful places to discover things about our world, our stories, and ourselves. Share your favorite experiences and stories about your time spent in parks and follow NPF on social media.
  • Join
    Our parks give us so many things – it’s important we support them too. Join the National Park Foundation and learn about the many ways you can ensure our parks thrive. Donate to support our parks today.

Join the Celebration

National parks are powerful places that have many meanings and connections to those who visit them – our shared history, our sense of discovery, and our dreams of the future. They teach us about ourselves and the world around us, and invite us to continue to learn, grow, and explore. National Park Week is a time to reflect on what parks mean to us, enjoy what they provide to their visitors and communities, and commit to protecting these places we cherish.

National Park Week 2023

As the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service (NPS), the National Park Foundation (NPF) was born out of the action of ordinary citizens who wanted to establish, expand, and enhance our national parks. Today, NPF raises and allocates critical funds to bring this vision to life, providing grants that protect all parks have to offer and encourage everyone to discover their own personal connections to these places.

We invite you to help us celebrate our national parks during National Park Week! Throughout the week, we will be highlighting ways to discover new things about the 400+ national parks protected by NPS and the ways NPF, our partners, and park lovers are helping support parks through innovative and impactful programs and projects. Join in on the festivities!

Discover New Parks

Did you know there are more than 400 national parks across the country? There's so much to explore and National Park Week is the perfect time to get out there and discover a new park.

  • A paved, 2-lane road weaves through an autumnal landscape
    NPF Resource
    NPF Travel Guides
    Once you have a park in mind, plan your next vacation or trip with NPF’s exclusive Owner’s Guides. Get travel tips, planning ideas, and more.
  • A person wearing boots walks through a field
    Mark Your Calendar
    Enjoy a Fee-Free Day in a Park
    Fee-free days are some of the best times to explore a new park. Each year, NPS designates special days when parks that normally charge an entrance fee offer free admission to everyone.
  • Two young visitors run up a paved path towards an overlook
    Quiz
    Find Your Park Quiz
    Using the Find Your Park Quiz, you can find new parks, nearby parks, and those best suited to your particular needs and wants. Just provide the answers and the quiz will offer the perfect park pairing.
  • A father and daughter look at blooming lotus flowers
    Find an Event
    Celebrate at a Park
    Check out featured events, as well as in-person and virtual programs, happening at parks across the country during National Park Week.
  • Bison seen from a car's rearview mirror
    Travel Safely
    Recreate Responsibly
    Whether you’re seeking wide-open spaces or exploring a historic neighborhood, it’s important to remember to #RecreateResponsibly. Plan ahead, know before you go, and when you leave the park, follow Leave No Trace principles.
  • Two people stand on a stone bridge and look out on a vista
    NPS App
    Keep Parks at Your Fingertips
    The National Park Service app has tools to explore parks nationwide, including interactive maps, tours of park locations, on-the-ground accessibility, and more. The free app is available for iOS and Android devices.

Park-Related Activities

Check out some of the amazing park activities happening during National Park Week, as well as ways you can get involved in the national park community all year long!

  • A person, wearing an NPS hat and sunglasses, smiles at the camera
    April 25, 1-2:30pm EDT
    Conservation Leaders Event
    Join this virtual discussion to learn about service corps and how these programs offer young adults opportunities to protect and preserve our parks.
  • A person walks under an arch; they're silhouetted against a starry sky
    April 26, 9pm EDT
    #ParkChat
    Celebrate National Park Week with @NationalParkFdn, @59NationalParks, and other park enthusiasts on Twitter by joining #ParkChat Wednesday, April 26 at 9:00 PM Eastern. We’ll tweet a series of questions that spark conversations about why we love national parks, the adventures we’ve had, and what we’ve learned in parks.
  • Three people kayak through a cypress tree samp
    April 22
    Park Rx Day
    Visiting our national parks provide a wealth of physical and mental health benefits. During Park Rx Day, a Fee-Free Day in 2023, get yourself to a park and make the most of all they have to offer.
  • Young visitor leafing through a junior ranger booklet
    April 29
    National Junior Ranger Day
    No matter what age you are, you’re invited to become a Junior Ranger on National Junior Ranger Day. See if a park near you is hosting any activities or participate in an online Junior Ranger program to earn your badge!
  • A handful of volunteers carry pallets of seedlings along a paved trail
    April 17 - 23
    National Volunteer Week
    With over 85 million acres to protect, NPS has many projects that could use an extra hand. During National Volunteer Week, learn about how to get involved and pitch-in at a national park near you.
  • Family inside a tent, set up indoors.
    Bring Parks Wherever You Go
    Parks at Home
    With virtual tours, webcams, and educational activities for young park enthusiasts, there are many ways to bring the history, landscapes, and stories of national parks with you wherever you go.
  • A child, sitting at a table and coloring, looks up towards an adult, smiling
    Downloadable Activities
    Parkcade
    From crosswords and word searches to park trivia and coloring pages - there's something for everyone to enjoy in our digital park-cade, including National Park Week adventure travel bingo and special desktop backgrounds!

Featured Stories

Check out some of the work NPF and our partners are doing to help protect our parks and create unique experiences to ensure all people can find their own connections to parks.

  • A group of students gather to listen to a park ranger
    Open OutDoors for Kids
    Opening New Doors for Urban Parks
    NPF funding enabled San Antonio Missions National Historical Park to engage a team of seasonal education rangers, scaling their field trip program to reach 20,000 students in just one year.
  • Moseley empties a compost bucket into the communal compost bin at Yosemite Village
    Reducing Waste Sent to Landfills
    Waste Not, Want Not
    Yosemite National Park’s compositing and fuel cylinder diversion and recycling programs have grown tremendously. Meet Tina Moseley, the woman leading the charge.
  • Three people stand, wearing gear including hats, backpacks, and holding walking sticks
    Service Corps
    Trailblazers
    A crew of recent college grads found community and conservation career paths while working on the Leaders of Color Crew through longtime NPF partner Southwest Conservation Corps at Mesa Verde National Park.

National Park Foundation Partners