Some of my favorite memories of my childhood involve being outdoors with my family. My parents loved the beach, they loved to walk through hills, mountains, parks, even the running track at our local community college. I remember being annoyed as a teen at having to walk with my large family (I am the oldest of 7 siblings) through these hikes and treks. But as I reflect on those memories now, some of the biggest moments and discussions in my life happened during these outside excursions. And now as a Mom, I seek to provide those same memories for my boys and to instill in them a love of nature, a moment to reflect and chat without all of life's noisy distractions.
This is why I am so excited to see that the National Park Service will be offering 6 Free Entrance days in 2021. If you would like to plan some one-on-one nature time for your family this year, mark your calendar for the following dates:
- January 18: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- April 17: First day of National Park Week
- August 4: One year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- August 25: National Park Service Birthday
- September 25: National Public Lands Day
- November 11: Veterans Day
Now you just have to decide which park or parks to visit.
National Parks in Southern CA:
- Cabrillo National Monument San Diego, CA
- Joshua Tree National Park Twenty Nine Palms, CA
- Santa Monica Mountains Thousand Oaks, CA
- Channel Islands Ventura, CA
Click here to search for parks by state. Additionally, if you have a fourth grader in your home there is also a free program called Every Kid in a Park that provides your family with a pass to explore public parks across the country. More details on this great program here. Whatever the age of your children and however crazy life can get, I hope you can all make some time this year to explore the awesomeness that is nature whether it's at our National or State Parks or simply following ant trails in the backyard.
"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt." John Muir
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