Free Entrance Days At National Parks And Playgrounds

The National Park Service has announced dates when entrance fees will be waived at most of the properties it manages. That includes Utah's Mighty 5 national parks plus our national monuments and recreational areas.

2014 fee-free days are listed below.

• January 20 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  
• February 15-17 - Presidents Day weekend
  
• April 19-20 - Opening weekend of National Park Week
  
• August 25 - National Park Service Birthday
  
• September 27 - National Public Lands Day
  
• November 11 - Veterans Day
  

The park service provided this additional information:

Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

People who want to visit multiple parks can usually save money by purchasing an America The Beautiful annual pass.

Free entrance days to these areas are a great reason to come visit!  Book a trip on Utah.com and come and play at some of Utah's most scenic destinations.

BLM Properties
The federal Bureau of Land Management controls thousands of acres of land in Utah. (Many of the areas on this page are BLM properties.) Most of that land is open for public use without entrance fees. The few areas that do charge entrance fees will waive those fees on the dates listed below:

• Jan. 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  
• Feb. 15- Feb 17 - Presidents’ Day weekend
  
• Sept. 27 - National Public Lands Day
  
• Nov. 11 - Veterans Day
  

Bonneville Salt Flats
Huffingtonpost.com has this interesting photo essay focusing on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The Salt Flats are stark and desolate and provide an interesting challenge for photographers. The images included are worth a look. Here are excerpts from the article's text:

Explore The Bonneville Salt Flats Of Utah (PHOTOS)

...The Bonneville Salt Flats are perhaps one of the most eye-catching, unique spots in the U.S.... During the dry season, the flats seem to continue on forever. And when it rains, the flats appear to turn into a giant mirror, reflecting all around it.