Yosemite National Park
Sierra Sun Times file photo
November 8, 2017 - Yosemite National Park will offer free admission to the public in honor of Veterans Day weekend, Saturday, November 11, through Sunday, November 12, 2017. This fee free weekend is offered to all park visitors in honor of current members, retired members, and reserve members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.
The National Park Service has honored Veterans Day as a fee free day since 2006. Waiving entrance fees on Veterans Day is one way the National Park Service works to show appreciation for the millions of men and women who fight to protect America’s great treasures, including Yosemite National Park.
Veterans Day falls on November 11th of every year. The holiday was created in remembrance of the signing of the armistice between Germany and the Allied nations at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. In 1954, the U.S. Congress approved November 11 as the day to honor all American veterans for their service to and sacrifices made for the United States.
The National Park Service also provides active duty military members and their dependents with a free annual national park pass. Permanently disabled veterans can receive a free lifetime Access Pass to all parks. These passes provide entrance to all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and other federal lands. Passes can be obtained at any national park that charges an entrance fee, including Yosemite.
A free interagency Military Pass is available at the entrance station. An active duty US military ID (CAC Card or DoD Form 1173) is required. The Military Pass allows unlimited entry to federal recreation sites for active duty military personnel and dependents for one year. Proper identification is required. This pass is available to US military members and their dependents in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, as well as most members of the US Reserves and National Guard. It must be obtained in person at Federal recreation sites that charge entrance or standard amenity fees. The pass covers entrance to Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service sites that charge entrance fees, and Standard Amenity Fees at Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation sites. It admits the owner of the pass and any accompanying passengers in a private non-commercial vehicle at vehicle fee areas, or the pass owner and up to three (3) additional adults at sites that charge per person. No entry fee is charged for children 15 and under. The Military Pass is non-transferable.
The Interagency Access Pass is also available at the entrance station. This is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. Documentation is required to obtain the pass. Acceptable documentation includes: statement by a licensed physician; document issued by Federal agency such as the Veteran's Administration, Social Security Disability Income or Supplemental Security Income; or document issued by a State agency such as a vocational rehabilitation agency. The pass provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity. The pass admits the pass holder and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at vehicle fee areas and pass holder + 3 adults. The pass can only be obtained in person at the park and is non-transferable.
Fees being waived for Veterans Day only include the fees associated with entrance into the park. All other fees associated with camping, lodging, or activities within the park still apply. The fee waiver is only valid for Veterans Day weekend.
For more information, and to plan your trip, visit www.nps.gov/yose
Source: NPS
