Entrance fees to all of the national parks in the United States have been suspended until further notice as a result of the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus — which is also known as COVID-19 or 2019-nCoV — pandemic.
National Park Service Suspends All Entrance Fees Due To Coronavirus Pandemic
“This small step makes it a little easier for the American public to enjoy the outdoors in our incredible National Parks,” David Bernhardt — who is the current secretary of the interior of the United States — said, according to this official news release. “Our vast public lands that are overseen by the Department offer special outdoor experiences to recreate, embrace nature and implement some social distancing.”
Both the National Park Service — which employs greater than 20,000 employees to maintain 419 national parks — and the Department of the Interior urge visitors to do their part when visiting a park to follow the guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by:
- Maintaining a safe distance between yourself and other groups
- Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- Covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
- Staying home if you feel sick
Finding an Open National Park
The bad news is that not all of the national parks are currently open due to the aforementioned pandemic, as outdoor spaces remain open to the public at a majority of national park locations where adhering to public health guidance is currently possible; while many facilities are — or will be — closed until further notice.
You can either check with individual national parks for specific details about park operations — or you can plan your visit by checking active alerts in each national park to see which ones are open; which ones are temporarily closed; and which ones are still open but have increased restrictions applied to them.
Summary
As I am trying to give some good news pertaining to this 2019 Novel Coronavirus “March madness”, other states and municipalities have implemented similar policies waiving fees to parks.
I have been taking a lot of walks over many miles in recent weeks — including in one national park — and they have helped clear my mind and take breaks which were much needed.
Do yourself a favor, as spring was ushered in earlier today, Thursday, March 19, 2020: find yourself a open national park to enjoy its natural beauty in the warmer weather — and get your mind off of this whole 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, as it is wearing on just about everybody.
Please read the following articles pertaining to my experiences in national parks — including:
- Celebrating 130 Years of The Statue of Liberty
- Mammoth Cave National Park: A Photographic Trip Report
- Driving Myself Un-Crazy on Blue Ridge Parkway
- Driving on Colonial Parkway in Historic Eastern Virginia
- Visit the Boyhood Home of Abraham Lincoln
- Visit the Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park to Charge Entrance Fee to Visitors — and My Trip Report
- 2,977 American Flags In Memoriam
All photographs ©2008, ©2014, ©2016, and ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
