There may be no better way to celebrate Earth Day this year than to show some love to America’s national parks—nine of which call California home. This year’s National Park Week runs from April 20–28 and kicks off Saturday with a Fee-Free Day at all national parks.
“National parks are sources of inspiration, recreation, and education for everyone,” says National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith. “During National Park Week, a wide variety of creative programs and events across the country will showcase these amazing places and encourage everyone to visit a park.”
Indeed, each day of National Park Week has a theme: Beyond offering free admission, April 20, 2024, is also Junior Ranger Day and Saturday the 27th is Bark Ranger Day, celebrating the parks that welcome pets, including Yosemite National Park.
Certainly, it’s an excellent excuse to plan a trip to a national park you haven’t yet visited—or an affiliated facility like a national seashore or recreation area. Death Valley National Park will host its Dark Sky Festival over the weekend of March 1–3, while the Golden Gate National Recreation Area will host a free Walk on the Wildflower Side with Ranger Katie on the morning of Saturday, March 16. If you can make it to Yosemite in late April, check out Shakespeare in Yosemite, a free production that takes place in the park annually. Performances are adapted to address issues that are relevant to Earth Day, and are performed by UC Merced students, park rangers, and other Yosemite employees and locals. This year’s music-filled production is A Midsummer Yosemite’s Dream.
On the flora front, you can take guided, one-hour forest walks in Prairie Creek and Simpson Reed Grove (both part of Redwood National Park) on Saturdays through June 1. If you want to celebrate Earth Day but are stuck in the city (namely, Los Angeles), the National History Museum of Los Angeles County celebrates on Sunday, April 21 with all Earth Day–based programming.
Or just treat this nine-day window as an excuse to explore a national park on your bucket list, like the blissfully untouched Channel Islands National Park, where you can take guided hikes on pretty much any day that the ferries are running out of Ventura or Oxnard.
“National Park Week is a great time to find your park with loved ones,” says National Park Foundation President Will Shafroth. “and to experience the stories and adventures that await in these treasured places.”
