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Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is traditionally the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort. It celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits.

Volunteer

Help care for your national parks by volunteering during a one-time event or on a reoccurring basis.

Join The #RecreateResponsibly Movement

Learn how to model best practices to protect America's treasures while looking out for each other's health and safety.

Graphic reading "NPLD. National Public Lands Day, National Park Service" with illustrations of visitors doing various park activities like scuba diving, hiking, kayaking, and picking up trash

About National Public Lands Day

National Public Lands Day is organized annually and led by the National Environmental Education Foundation, in partnership with the National Park Service and other federal agencies. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers roll up their sleeves to help restore and preserve public lands of all types and sizes-from iconic national parks and rivers to local urban green spaces and everything in between. National Public Lands Day is special because it provides all lovers of the environment-old and new-an opportunity to show our appreciation for these unique places.

The theme for this year -"30 Years of Care and Community" - celebrates the 30th year of National Public Lands Day. Join the celebration by volunteering at a national park site near you!

Get Involved

There are many ways to participate in National Public Lands Day. Whatever you choose to do, we encourage you to share Your Park Story.

Visit A National Park For Free

Take part in a volunteer work project. Certain in-park projects may provide a fee-free day coupon to be used on a future date. See the list of National Public Lands Day events below or check out all volunteer events at national parks by using Volunteer.gov, keyword search National Public Lands Day.

Have fun and enjoy the health benefits of being outdoors.

Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media channels with the hashtag #NPLD, #NPSVolunteer, and #MyParkStory.

Volunteer on National Public Lands Day and receive a free national park one-day pass to any national park site. Or visit a park on National Public Lands Day for free.