Take Advantage of Fee Free Days at 392 National Parks

The National Park Service is once again offering families the opportunity to check out our nation's 392 national parks without paying the usually entrance fees that range from $3 to $25, depending on the park. The fee waiver includes entrance fees, but other costs such as camping and concessions are not waived. The next fee-free weekend is August 14-15, 2010, followed by September 25 (Public Lands Day) and November 11 (Veterans Day).

Have you ever wondered how many people enjoy our national park system each year? In 2009, more than 285 million visited, making it the fifth busiest year ever. In fact, 10 million more Americans and foreign tourists visited national parks in 2009 than the year before- a 3.9% increase. The all-time visitation record of 287.2 million was set in 1987.

If you're looking for a great summer road trip, the Top 10 most visited national parks are:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Yosemite National Park, California

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Idaho

Olympic National Park, Washington

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Zion National Park, Utah

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Acadia National Park, Maine

To make your vacation even easier on the wallet, many national park concessioners are welcoming visitors with their own special offers that vary by park- reduced lodging, half price activities, and gift shop discounts. These special offers are in addition to free admission.

Don't miss out on America's best idea this summer- our national parks - especially during free entrance days!

Click here for list of parks (by state) participating in FREE entrance days.