"HONORING AMERICA'S VETERANS": While our national parks are often considered to be true places of reflection and contemplation, they can also help us connect to the spirit of gratitude. They're excellent spots to ponder those who have served our country, and the sacrifices they made along the way. That's why each and every year the National Park Service designates Veterans Day as a Free Entrance Day at those parks who charge a fee (there are 124 of them in the system, though 400-plus parks, monuments, and sites in all). Do you have a veteran in your life? Can you plan an outing together to a spot of historical importance, one that pays tribute to the memory of people who gave their all for their country? Peruse the full list of spots and schedule your trip for...
FRIDAY, NOV. 11: This is the final pay-no-fee day of 2016 at the parks (and the next day will happen on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January). So get outside, be in the fine fall weather, and read up on some recent or long-ago history (should you visit one of the Sites of Remembrance around the nation, which include battlefields, shrines, trails, and monuments). While a number of the sites are located in the east and south, those in the west can journey to Fort Bowie in Arizona and Fort Point National Historic Site in California, among many other locales, to show their respect and gratitude. If you can't reach a place of national history, but like the idea of reflection in a quiet place, Yosemite, the redwoods, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and others are also close at hand.
