It’s time to gather up the kids, shut down the house, pay the bills in advance, and arrange for the lawn to be watered.  Summer has arrived, you have two weeks off, so where to take the family this year? 

Europe is expensive these days. Not only is there the air fare to consider, but  recently the dollar has been very weak against the Euro.  Europe is a great place to visit, with all its great food and cultural experiences, but like many other families, you may choose to wait for better conditions.

In fact, flying just about anywhere runs up the family vacation bill, so why not consider spending your family vacation in your own “back yard”- this big beautiful country of ours?

Historic and Cultural Sites

There are also many historical, prehistoric, or archeological sites managed by the U.S. Park Service, providing a wonderful way to explore our history.

From the birthplace of our nation at Independence Hall in Pennsylvania to the Anasazi Heritage Center in Colorado, many parks, forests, and other public lands feature cultural and historic sites that offer outstanding educational opportunities.

Entrance fees and visitor hours vary from site to site. For detailed information on a particular site, please contact that site directly.

Facility and Tour Reservations

Some sites and tours are in great demand, so it’s a good idea to make an advance reservation to reserve a campsite before leaving on your trip.

The Forest Service, Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Reclamation are all working together to make it easier for you to make advance reservations for high-demand facilities and activities on lands managed by those agencies.

Many campsites and tours are first-come, first-served. Some campgrounds that offer advance reservations also include campsites that are not reserved - space may be available at the last minute, even after all "reservable" units are filled.

The Federal government currently uses two major computerized reservation systems to process advance reservations:

• National Recreation Reservation Service (for facilities managed by the Forest Service, Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation)
• National Park Reservation Service (for facilities and tours managed by the National Park Service)

In addition, concessionaires on some National Park Service units provide advance reservations. These include:

• Prince William Forest Park
  • Prince William Forest Park Camping Reservations
  • Prince William Forest Park Travel Trailer Reservations
• Yellowstone National Park
  • Bridge Bay Campground
  • Canyon Campground
  • Grant Campground
  • Madison Campground
  • Fishing Bridge RV Park
• Virgin Islands National Park
  • Cinnamon Bay Campground
  • Denali National Park and Preserve
• Mesa Verde National Park
  • Morefield Campground

Recreation Passes

In addition, there are entrance fees for most parks. Entrance and use fees for federal lands are not only used for conserving our nation's land, wildlife, waterways and historical sites, but are used to develop, maintain and improve visitor services and recreation opportunities.

Now you can order a “Recreation Pass” for the specific kind of park and park use you plan for your family.  The federal government has instituted the Federal Recreation Pass Program, which offers seven different passes.  There are several passes for use by the general public, as well as passes for senior citizens, or residents of the U.S. who are legally blind or permanently disabled. 

Practice Good Stewardship of our Public Lands

You can help to take good care of our public lands so that others may enjoy these areas for years to come by practicing some of the following actions:

Don't Litter... take along a trash bag or other receptacle for collecting your trash so that you can deposit it in the proper trash receptacle.

Make sure that you follow the verbal or posted directions by local staff so that you can both enjoy and respect the historic and cultural resources and vegetation on nature walks and outdoor programs. Don't take anything away and don't leave anything from your visit to the great outdoors.

Don't wander into areas where it is not permitted. These areas have been declared "off limits" to protect wildlife, vegetation, or for your safety.

Plan your Trip

There’s a great web site at http://www.recreation.gov/ that’s very informative.  Use it to select your park destination, and to read about its requirements and recreation pass possibilities. 

Then get out your maps, plan your trip, pack the family car and go expore our wonderful country with the whole family!