National Public Lands Day, September 24, 2016, Mt Rainier National Park / NPS

This Saturday, September 28, is the 31st annual National Public Lands Day. It's one of the park service's 5 fee free days in 2024, so every national park property that charges admission will waive their fees to enter the parks. But more importantly, National Public Lands Day is also the biggest single day volunteer opportunity across the national park system. You don't have to volunteer to get free admission, but chances are if there's a national park near you, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities on Saturday. 

National Public Lands Day started in 1994, an initiative led by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) in partnership with the National Park Service. Last year, more than 130 park properties saw 7,600 volunteers donate 41,500 hours of service to the national parks. Since the event started, more than one million volunteers have worked a staggering 5 million volunteer hours. 

NPS Graphic

“The National Park Service will host nearly 100 events on National Public Lands Day,” said Shari Orr, National Park Service volunteer program manager. “This day of service helps us introduce people to national parks and the recreational, inspirational and educational benefits [parks] provide.”

The iconic national parks draw the attention of course, but it isn't just Yellowstone and Yosemite that need help. Regional historic park sites and monuments too see plenty of enthusiastic volunteer support. You might find yourself doing trail maintenance, sign installation, weed abatement, trash cleanup, planting, the list is nearly endless, really. The theme of this year's event is "Together for Tomorrow" a celebration of community and a recognition the parks are for everyone. 

To find a volunteer opportunity near you, visit volunteer.gov or the NEEF map that shows opportunities by region.