© NPS

The NPS has a great new feature on their website for people looking to get away and have a national park vacation. National Park Getaways features a different park every weekend and has some great ideas for exciting weekend trips. Most of the activities listed are free, so it also makes for a very thrifty vacation. (Even cheaper if you have a National Parks Pass!)

Boston National Historical Park in Massachusetts is featured this week, and previous getaways have been Prince William Forest Park in Virginia, Salinas Mission National Monument in New Mexico, and North Cascades National Park in Washington. Are you planning any weekend getaways this summer? Maybe taking advantage of the upcoming fee-free weekend next week? Let us know what your plans are in the comments section!

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The annual Delaware River Clean Up Day is happening this year on July 23rd, and volunteers are needed. Says Superintendent John Donahue: “The clean up day is a great opportunity to have some fun on the river and to make the river a better place for all to enjoy. The water quality of the river is outstanding; it is critical that we work together to keep it that way.”

Participants will paddle canoes and pick up trash along a section of the river. There will be five sections; each one is 6 to 10 miles in length. The Delaware River Clean Up Day begins at 8 a.m. and should end by approximately 4:30 p.m. Volunteers need to park and check-in either at Dingmans Ferry Access (PA Route 739) or Smithfield Beach (on River Road, PA). Canoes, paddles and life jackets will be provided by the canoe outfitters. Shuttle transportation and trash bags will be provided by the National Park Service. The park’s expanded amenity fees will be waived for the day.

Also, refreshments will be provided at the morning check-in. Volunteers will receive a Delaware Water Gap NRA carry sack, water bottle, first aid kit, and a whistle/key ring.

If you're interested in participating, call the park's hotline at (570) 426-2478 for more information and to make reservations.

© Lauren Himiak

You already know that visiting a national park can be a very cost-effective way to spend a vacation. The NPS has sweetened the deal this summer even more by offering three "fee-free weekends" at national parks across the country. The first has already come and gone, but you can start planning now to take advantage of the next one, which is coming up on the weekend of July 18^th and 19^th. Fees are waived not only at "lesser known" parks, but also at the big ones, such as Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. NPS.gov has a full listing of fee-free weekend parks.

Many park concessioners are also offering special deals to coincide with the free weekend. Some of the offers include a free reusable tote bag, free group picture and buy-one-get-one-free deals on organized tours. ParkPartners.org has a full listing of the special deals happening.

The fee-free weekends are a great excuse to get out and see one of America's great national parks. If you can't make this one, you have one other opportunity this summer on August 15^th and 16^th. Choose a park and start planning now!

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The NPS is offering a very cool opportunity to see Muir Woods National Monument in a different light. From the NPS:

Explore the magic of Muir Woods during a full moon, learning about the secret nightlife of an old-growth redwood forest. Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight. Children under 8 years not advised. This is an easy 1.5-mile walk on a paved trail. For reservations, phone 415-388-2596.

The event runs from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM on July 7^th and August 5^th. The program is free, however park entrance fees still apply. Don't forget that you can your Annual Parks Pass to bypass the entrance fees!

If you go, leave a comment on this post and let us know how it was!

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Gettysburg National Military Park is commemorating the 146^th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3) with 20 different programs that follow and explain the battle in chronological order and as close as possible to the real time the events described took place. The programs range in length from a half an hour to an hour.

Gettysburg is a great park for families and history buffs. If you live in the area - or are willing to make a short drive - you shouldn't pass up this unqiue opportunity to re-live history! For more information, the NPS has released a PDF with all the information you need to know.

If you can't make it to Gettysburg for the "Real Time Programs", the park has a series of ranger programs going on all summer that focus on the highpoints of the Turning Point. Check out the official Gettysburrg National Military Park website for more info.

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Looking for a fun summer activity for the family? Plan a trip to Cedar Breaks National Monument next month for its 4th Annual Wildflower Festival.

The festival runs from July 3 through July 19th and includes many activities for all ages, including guided hikes, photography workshops, and even Junior Ranger programs.

"During this spectacular display, visitors to the monument will be able to see paintbrush and primrose, lupine and larkspur, and a spectrum of other flowers in meadows, woods, and marshes," says Cedar Breaks Superintendent Paul Roelandt. "We have put together a series of special events and will have park rangers, volunteers, and other resources available for visitors to learn about and photograph the incredible beautiful variety of wildflowers to be discovered at Cedar Breaks."

Check out all available activities and start planning your trip now.

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The National Park Service has launched a website that will help you plan your Fourth of July celebration somewhere in the National Park System.

“The Fourth of July is an American tradition and a National Park tradition,” said Dan Wenk, acting Park Service director. “It is a time to come together with family and friends and celebrate the birth of this nation. I invite everyone to celebrate independence this year at a National Park site - many of the events and people that established and helped maintain our Independence as a nation are today commemorated in areas managed by the National Park Service. Come visit us and have a safe and happy Fourth of July.”

The new website will help you find information on many special programs taking place on and around the Fourth of July at National Park Service sites throughout the country.

Death Valley National Park is preparing a Wilderness Stewardship Plan to guide decisions for the future use and protection of its wilderness lands. And if you’d like to comment, there is still  time. The deadline for public input on the Death Valley Wilderness Stewardship Plan has been extended to June 30.

The park is enormous and about 93 percent - 3.1 million acres- is federally protected under the terms of the Wilderness Act of 1964. And the public's opinions on wilderness resource values and management alternatives is critical in the planning process.

Electronic comments are preferred via the  public comment form on the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment System or by email to devaplanning@nps.govey, CA 92328.

For additional information, contact Charlie Callagan, Death Valley’s Wilderness Coordinator, at 760-786-3282.

© Lauren Himiak

Dad, you reading this? Want to go camping this weekend? Happy Father's Day!

This weekend marks the first entrance-free weekend in the National Park System this summer, so why not celebrate Father's Day by taking your dad to a park.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had made the decision to open the parks for free on three weekends this summer to encourage tourism. It applies to all national 58 national parks.

So start planning now! There are so many parks to choose from: the most famous like Yellowstone or Grand Canyon; Eastern parks like Acadia or Shenandoah; or even the lesser known Dry Tortugas or Mesa Verde. Search the National & State Parks page for ideas now. No matter where you go, you can be sure Dad will have a great time!

Last month, children in a hiking group at Denali National Park & Preserve were exploring and playing with with objects on a Teklanika River gravel bar. One of the youngsters found a thin, stick-like object that has turned out to be a prehistoric hunting artifact. This rare find now gives scientists an opportunity to learn more about early Athabascan Indian occupancy of interior Alaska.

The object was about 12 inches long and seemed as if it had been shaped by human hands. It turned out to be an arrow foreshaft carved from an antler. The fact is hadn't decomposed or wear away over the years is incredible.

A sample from this artifact will be submitted for lab analysis. Similar objects found elsewhere have been radio carbon-dated in the range of 100 to 1,100 years old.

Though park officials were thrilled that the child brought the find to them in fear of being washed away, keep in mind that all artifacts on public lands are protected under federal law, and park visitors who find them should leave them alone.