National Park Week is an annual week for celebration and recognition of your National Parks. National Park Week usually coincides with Earth Day (April 22). For 2024, National Park Week will be observed from Saturday, April 20 through Sunday, April 28. National Volunteer Week honors the individuals who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in their communities. For 2024, National Volunteer Week will be observed from Sunday, April 14 through Saturday, April 20. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteer activities and special ranger-led programs were cancelled in 2020, 2021, and 2022. However, in 2020, we celebrated National Volunteer Week by recognizing and highlighting the accomplishments of some of our volunteers. Visit our National Volunteer Week 2020 Videos page to hear them speak about their work, their most memorable volunteer experiences, and their favorite places in Point Reyes National Seashore. Earth Day began when a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, called for an environmental teach-in in 1969, which was inspired by the teach-ins dealing with the Vietnam War. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, and drew an estimated 20 million participants. Tens of thousands of people filled New York's Fifth Avenue, Congress adjourned so members could speak across the nation, and at least 2,000 colleges marked the occasion. American Heritage Magazine called the first Earth Day "one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy." Today, Earth Day is celebrated in 174 countries by over a half billion people, making it the most celebrated secular holiday in the world, a day on which people get outdoors, plant trees, clean up trash and lobby for the environment. Your National Parks are living examples of the best this Nation has to offer-our magnificent natural landscapes and our varied yet interrelated heritage. Parks can provide recreational experiences, opportunities to learn and grow, and places of quiet refuge. This year, take a moment, an hour, a day to visit the national parks near you. Check out our National Park Week, National Volunteer Week, & Earth Day 2024 page for a listing of events that will be held at Point Reyes National Seashore during or in conjunction with National Volunteer Week, Earth Day, and National Park Week. For a listing of events to be held throughout the National Park Service, visit the official National Park Week page. While entrance to Point Reyes National Seashore is always free, the opening day of National Park Week—April 20, 2024—entrance to all National Park Service sites is free. The National Park Service also offers a number of other fee-free days throughout the year. You may also wish to attend one of the many Point Reyes Field Institute classes during National Park Week. These are offered throughout the year by the Point Reyes National Seashore Association and advanced registration is required. Visit their Schedule of Classes to find out which classes will be offered during National Park Week. To find out what events were held in previous years, click on the appropriate year: |
Last updated: March 25, 2024