FREE NATIONAL PARK PASSES FOR VETERANS & GOLD STAR FAMILIES

Today is Veterans Day and to celebrate, the National Park Service is offering free entrance to all parks for all Veterans and Gold Star Families. In a release from the US Dept. of Veterans Affairs, it was announced that today, and from now on, they will receive free access to national parks, wildlife refuges and other Federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior.

“With the utmost respect and gratitude, we are granting Veterans and Gold Star Families free access to the iconic and treasured lands they fought to protect starting this Veterans Day and every single day thereafter,” said Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt.

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To commemorate Veterans Day and honor those who have served in the military, National Park Service entrance fees will be waived for ALL visitors on November 11. Beginning on Veterans Day, Gold Star Families and U.S. military veterans will be granted free access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas into perpetuity. These areas include our magnificent national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and other lands and waters managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.⁣ ⁣ Image: Frank Gaylord, sculptor of 19 larger-than-life size steel warriors in the "Field of Service" at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, was able to draw on his experience as a veteran of World War II to deliver this powerful virtual platoon in Washington D.C.⁣ ⁣ #FindYourPark #veterans #washingtondc #nationalparkservice

A post shared by National Park Service (@nationalparkservice) on Nov 10, 2020 at 9:45am PST

Our closest National Park is the Effigy Mounds in Harpers Ferry, Iowa. It is a beautiful, sacred space, featuring animal shaped (effigy) mounds and hiking trails with some amazing overlooks! Here’s some pics my wife took the last time we were there, including the Marquette-Joliet Bridge:

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