National Public Lands Day

Join us for National Public Lands Day on September 27, 2025! Since 1994, this annual event on the fourth Saturday of September has been the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort. Last year, over 130 national parks hosted events with 7,600 volunteers donating an impressive 41,500 hours of service.

All national parks that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone on September 27, 2025 in celebration of National Public Lands Day.

Volunteer

Help care for your national parks by volunteering during a one-time event or on a reoccurring basis.

Illustrated Recreate Responsibly poster featuring a historic building

Join the #RecreateResponsibly Movement

Learn how to model best practices to protect America's treasures while looking out for each other's health and safety.

Graphic reading "NPLD. National Public Lands Day, National Park Service" with illustrations of visitors doing various park activities like scuba diving, hiking, kayaking, and picking up trash — Courtesy of NEEF

About National Public Lands Day

National Public Lands Day is organized annually and led by the National Environmental Education Foundation, in partnership with the National Park Service and other federal agencies. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers roll up their sleeves to help restore and preserve public lands of all types and sizes—from iconic national parks and rivers to local urban green spaces and everything in between. National Public Lands Day is special because it provides all lovers of the environment—old and new—an opportunity to show our appreciation for these unique places.

National Public Lands Day is more than a clean-up—it’s a chance to connect with new communities, an event that creates kinship among those working together for a common goal, and an opportunity to use America’s public lands for education, recreation, and overall physical and mental health. The theme for this year’s celebration is National Public Lands Day: Together for Tomorrow. Let’s join forces for a common goal, stewarding America’s natural resources for future generations to enjoy. Be a part of this impactful day and help make a difference in our public lands!

Get Involved

There are many ways to participate in National Public Lands Day. Whatever you choose to do, we encourage you to share Your Park Story.

Visit a national park for free.
Take part in a volunteer work project. Certain in-park projects may provide a fee-free day coupon to be used on a future date. See the list of National Public Lands Day events below or check out all volunteer events at national parks by using Volunteer.gov, keyword search National Public Lands Day.
Have fun and enjoy the health benefits of being outdoors.
Learn how you can protect public lands and Leave No Trace when you visit.
Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media channels with the hashtag #NPLD and #NPSVolunteer.

National Public Lands Day infographic, detailed alt text on the webpage — NPS / Juliana Luna

Volunteer on National Public Lands Day and receive a free national park one-day pass to any national park site. Or visit a park on National Public Lands Day for free.

Title : “How will you celebrate national public lands day?”

Top of chart begins with: “Start” to “Are you outdoorsy?”

If “Yes”, then “Adventurous?”

If “Yes”, then “Which is more rewarding to you?”

If “Spending time outdoors”, then “Visit a national park for free.”

If “Giving back”, then “Volunteer on NPLD service project & recieve a free national park one day pass.”

If “Both”, then “How often do you go on social media sites?”

If “Everyday”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD."

If “Not very often”, then ““Volunteer on NPLD service project & recieve a free national park one day pass.”

If “No”, then “Do you like hands-on projects?”

If “Love them”, then ‘Any plans for the weekend?”

If “Nope”, then “Volunteer on NPLD service project & recieve a free national park one day pass.”

If “Yup”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”

If “Not really”, then “When's the last time you went outside?”

If “I can't remember”, then “Time to visit a national park for free.”

If “Earlier today”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”

If “Sort of”, then “Do you like hands on projects?”

If “No”, then “Do you like hands on projects?”

If “Love them”, then ‘Any plans for the weekend?”

If “Nope”, then “Volunteer on NPLD service project & recieve a free national park one day pass.”

If “Yup”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”

If “Not really”, then “When's the last time you went outside?”

If “I can't remember”, then “Time to visit a national park for free.”

If “Earlier today”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”

If “No”, then “When's the last time you went outside??”

If “I can't remember”, then “Time to visit a national park for free.”

If “Earlier today”, then “Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media #NPLD.”

Events in National Parks

Volunteer your time at one of the events listed below. To see what's available, select the month of September on the calendar. Check out Volunteer.gov for more volunteer events at national parks.

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Want to volunteer? Volunteer events will soon display directly on the NPS Event Calendar. Until then, visit Volunteer.gov to find ways to volunteer!

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About National Public Lands Day

Get Involved