National Park Week sets theme days

A familiar sign
at all parks.

If you love America’s national parks as much as we do, you’ll be excited to learn about different ways the National Park Service, National Park Foundation, and other groups plan to celebrate National Park Week, April 17-25, 2021. Here are the theme days that the National Park Foundation—the official charity of America’s national parks--has planned to encourage you to visit, explore, and perhaps volunteer during that week:

April 17: Park Rx Day--Being outdoors supports wellness in a number of ways, making you stronger, happier, healthier, and more productive.   Discover NPF programs that are helping parks be more resilient and sustainable, as well as those that contribute to landscape and wildlife conservation.  

April 18:  Volunteers in Parks--From clearing trails to planting trees to assisting

Keeping trails in good order is
a task of National Park Service.

archaeologists, volunteers are critical in providing support for NPS.  Explore NPF communities and workforce programs that help grow the capacity of NPS and our partners. 

April 19: Military Monday-- For active-duty military and veterans, as well as their families, national parks can provide a place of solitude, beauty, reflection, and recreation. Discover the stories of military history, veterans and military members that are preserved in parks across the country. 

April 20: Transformation Tuesday-- NPS has been protecting and preserving lands and historic structures for over 100 years. Discover NPF’s work in landscape and wildlife conservation, to preserving history and culture, and investments we’re making in parks of the future for future generations.  

April 21: Wayback Wednesday—Be inspired by NPF’s continued work in history and culture to support the preservation of historic sites, collections, and artifacts in parks that share these stories, and our support to  ensure such treasures will be accessible for centuries to come. 

History is on display at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota.

April 22: Earth Day—Celebrate this day by learning about the NPF’s innovative strategies that make our parks environmentally friendly and sustainable work in landscape and wildlife conservation.

April 23: Friendship Friday—Working within communities, NPF helps expand the capacity of parks nationwide, leading to stronger, healthier parks.

Protecting and conserving wildlife such as this moose in
Montana's Glacier National Park.

April 24: Junior Ranger Day--NPS’s Junior Ranger programs help young park visitors connect with our shared history, heritage, and national parks. Find a Junior Ranger program in a park near you or earn a digital Junior Ranger badge from home. Young visitors are encouraged to establish meaningful connections in our parks through education, engagement,  and outdoor exploration.

April 25: B.A.R.K. Day--Learn the B.A.R.K. Ranger principles for when you bring Fido on a trip to a pet-friendly park and discover the many roles dogs play in parks, especially by encouraging multicultural and multigenerational families to spend time outdoors together.

Information courtesy of National Park Service.