National Parks in the Midwest you can visit free Aug. 25

CHICAGO (FOX 32) - The National Park Service is celebrating its 110th birthday, and to commemorate the occasion, NPS is offering free admission to all of its parks across the country on Tuesday, Aug. 25. All U.S. citizens and residents will have entry fees waived on Aug. 25th. 

Parks in the Midwest 

Local perspective:

There are dozens of parks across the Midwest within the NPS system that you can visit for free Tuesday. Here are all the National Parks in some Midwest states you can enter for free on Aug. 25: 

Illinois 

• Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
• Lincoln Home National Historic Site
• New Philadelphia National Historic Site
• Pullman National Historical Park
• Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
• Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

Indiana

• George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
• Indiana Dunes National Park
• Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Iowa

• Effigy Mounds National Monument
• Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

 

Michigan

• Isle Royale National Park
• Keweenaw National Historical Park
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Pictured Rocks National Seashore
• River Raisin National Battlefield Park
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Minnesota

• Grand Portage National Monument
• Mississippi National River & Recreation Area
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Pipestone National Monument
• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
• Voyageurs National Park

North Dakota

• Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
• Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Ohio

• Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
• First Ladies National Historic Site
• Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
• James A. Garfield National Historic Site
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial
• William Howard Taft National Historic Site

South Dakota

• Badlands National Park
• Jewel Cave National Monument
• Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
• Missouri National Recreational River
• Mount Rushmore National Memorial
• Wind Cave National Park

Wisconsin

• Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
• Ice Age National Scenic Trail
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway

A full list of National Parks by state can be found here. All National Parks are eligible for fee-free entry on August 25.

About the Celebration

Big picture view:

The National Park Service is celebrating its 110th birthday throughout the week, beyond the fee-free entry day on Aug. 25. The overall theme for this year's birthday celebration is the 250th anniversary of the nation as a whole. Below is a list of the different theme days NPS is hosting throughout the week. 

• Saturday, August 22: Kickoff Saturday and Freedom 250 Grand Pix
• Sunday, August 23: Safety Sunday
• Monday, August 24: America in Motion Monday
• Tuesday, August 25: National Park Service 110th Birthday & Fee-Free Day
• Wednesday, August 26: Watch Wildlife Wednesday
• Thursday, August 27: Thankful Thursday
• Friday, August 28: Freedom Friday
• Saturday, August 29: Staff Saturday
• Sunday, August 30: Junior Ranger Day

The NPS is also suggesting fun ways to celebrate its 110th birthday. The service listed ten ways you can continue the birthday fun. 

1. Visit a national park. Entrance fees are waived for our birthday! Remember to check your park's website to plan ahead.
2. Post your national park celebration on social media using #NPSBirthday, #NPS110, and #NationalParkWeek.
3. Download the NPS App and send your family and friends virtual postcards using your own favorite photos of parks.
4. Go on a ranger program or talk to a ranger in a park.
5. Hit a trail on foot, bike, or boat.
6. Visit a monument, memorial, or hallowed ground to reflect.
7. Earn a Junior Ranger badge.
8. Join our team as a volunteer for an event or sign up for year round.
9. Party past sundown to see the night sky.
10. BYOBC. Bring Your Own Birthday Cake and have a picnic! Feed the rangers, not the wildlife.

History of the NPS 

The backstory:

The National Park Service has been protecting America’s most treasured landscapes and historic sites for more than a century, but its roots go back even further.

Yellowstone was the launchpad for the NPS in the late 19th century. On March 1, 1872, Congress established Yellowstone National Park in what are now Montana and Wyoming, setting it aside "as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." Today, more than 100 countries have some 1,200 national parks or equivalent preserves.

In the following decades, the U.S. kept adding national parks and monuments, mostly carved out of federal lands in the West. However, complications arose due to no single agency being in charge of the entire system. Some were managed by the Department of the Interior, others by the War Department and the Forest Service.

In 1916, then President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service to bring together the different agencies under one roof. This new agency, housed within the Department of the Interior, was set to protect the then 35 national parks and monuments.

By 1970, Congress formally recognized that the National Park System had grown to include "superlative natural, historic and recreation areas in every region" of the country.

Today, the National Park System covers more than 400 areas nationally and over 84 million acres across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Saipan and the Virgin Islands. Over 20,000 National Park Service employees care for the parks and work with communities around the country to preserve local history and create local recreational opportunities.

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