19 Ways to Experience Your Parks in 2019

The following blog is an excerpt from 19 Ways to Experience Your Parks in 2019 by the National Park Foundation.

National parks are filled with so many opportunities for you to get active, meet new people, learn about different stories, gain new skills, and more. So why not make 2019 the year you prioritize experiencing more of America’s greatest places as you simultaneously accomplish your new year’s goals? There are plenty of great tips on how to #FindYourPark/#EncuentraTuParque and even free Owner’s Guides to inspire your research but below, you’ll find 19 of the top ways to accomplish your 2019 resolutions in your national parks.

FREEBIES

Start out by pulling out your planner (or opening up your calendar on your phone)! Before planning your trips for the year, be sure to note the National Park Service’s five fee-free days, when admission to all national parks will be free.

• Monday, January 21 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Saturday, April 20 – First Day of National Park Week/National Junior Ranger Day
• Sunday, August 25 – National Park Service Anniversary
• Saturday, September 28 – National Public Lands Day
• Monday, November 11 – Veterans Day

NEW ADVENTURES IN PARKS

It should come as no surprise that many national parks offer plentiful hiking and cycling opportunities. Yet recreational opportunities in parks go far beyond day hikes and picnics! Many parks offer programs and recreational activities you might never have expected to try at a national park, and who knows? Maybe trying one new activity will help you discover your new favorite hobby.

1. Numerous national parks house geocaches, either physical caches or electronic ones. With your GPS device or smartphone app, you’ll be able to take part in one of these modern-day scavenger hunts. 
2. Forget your local country club and take a weekend to visit one of the handful of golf coursespreserved by the National Park Service. History, nature, and sport? Sounds like a hole in one!
3. Wondering what sport allows for moments (or hours) of calm and peaceful meditation, and at other times will have your heart racing? There’s much to love about fishing, and there are many great spots to cast your line in national parks.
4. Practice your listening skills by tuning out the outside world and honing in on the sounds of the outdoors and the many voices you’ll hear chirping or squawking around you. With the help of your binoculars, you’ll witness an array of birds, perhaps many of them for the first time.

Continue reading, “19 Ways to Experience Your Parks in 2019” from the National Park Foundation here.

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  The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON →