Free Summer Entry Weekends at National Parks

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

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On the weekends of June 20, July 18, and August 15, the National Park Service will offer free admission at more than 100 national parks. That’s including Yosemite (usual fee: $20), Yellowstone (usual fee: $25), and Acadia (usual summer fee: $20).

Adding to the deal, National Park Service concessioner Aramark is offering deals on tours and accommodations at many national parks. For example, on the free weekends at Lake Powell National Recreation Area, you can buy one ticket and get a second half off for the full-day Rainbow Bridge cruise. At Shenandoah National Park, guests who book a Saturday stay can reserve Sunday night for 50 percent off.

There are more ways to save at parks around the country. SmarterTravel’s Josh Roberts recently rounded up summer savings at top national parks in a great photo gallery, and Kate Hamman and Carl Unger featured camping among their picks for top cheap ways to travel this summer.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got an increasingly affordable camping trip to plan.

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