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<\/a><\/p>\nBy PDX People<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Portland, Ore. \u2013 Do you love hiking, biking or camping in our national parks? If so, don\u2019t miss your opportunity to visit 124 of our national parks this year for free.<\/p>\n In honor of the 100th<\/sup> Anniversary of the National Park Service, you will be able to enjoy our National Parks for free on these days:<\/p>\n Jan. 16\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>– Martin Luther King Jr. Day Washington State Parks also offers fee-free days, waiving the need to purchase or display a Discover Pass\u00a0in parking areas. The state parks will offer\u00a0<\/em>12 such days in 2017<\/em>, including a new occasion, Autumn Day on Nov. 24.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In spite of the lure that visiting a state park for free this year will offer many people; the reality is that most of Oregon\u2019s state parks are already free so if you plan on taking advantage of any of these free days you will have to visit any of our state parks outside of Oregon.<\/p>\n State<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0provincial parks<\/strong>\u00a0are\u00a0parks\u00a0or other\u00a0protected areas\u00a0managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use “state” or “province” as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state, and of some the\u00a0Mexican states. The term is also used in the\u00a0Australian\u00a0state of\u00a0Victoria.[1]<\/sup>\u00a0The Canadian equivalent term is a provincial park. Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies.<\/p>\n State parks are thus similar to\u00a0national parks,[<\/sup>according to whom?<\/sup><\/em>]<\/sup>\u00a0but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly,\u00a0local government\u00a0entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g.,\u00a0regional parks\u00a0or\u00a0county parks. In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with a few exceptions such as the\u00a0Adirondack Park\u00a0in New York and\u00a0Anza-Borrego Desert State Park\u00a0in California.<\/a><\/p>\n
\nFeb. 20<\/strong>\u00a0– Presidents’ Day
\nApril 15 to 16 and 22 to 23<\/strong>\u00a0– Weekends of National Park Week
\nAug. 25<\/strong>\u00a0– National Park Service birthday
\nSept. 30<\/strong>\u00a0– National Public Lands Day
\nNov. 11 to 12<\/strong>\u00a0– Veterans Day Weekend<\/em><\/p>\nMost Oregon State Parks Are Already Free<\/strong><\/h1>\n
About Our National Parks<\/strong><\/h2>\n