NW Parks Free for Day Use Nov. 8-11 to Honor Veterans

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, right, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greets a Marine during a Commitment to Service event where service members and players from the National Basketball Association's Brooklyn Nets teamed up to help distribute food at a food bank in New York, Nov. 6, 2014.   DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Hinton

Day-use fees at most U.S. Forest Service recreation sites in Oregon and Washington will be waived on Veterans Day Weekend, November 8-11, 2014 to celebrate Veterans Day.

The fee-free day honors U.S. veterans, members of the U.S. armed forces and their families.

"Honoring veterans by waiving day-use fees is one way to recognize the contributions of those Americans who have served their country,” said U.S. Forest Service Fee Coordinator Jocelyn Biro. “We hope veterans will take this opportunity to visit the lands they helped protect.”

The administrative fee waiver of recreation-use fees applies annually on Veterans Day at public recreation lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service, as well as by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.  

Federal agencies are authorized to charge standard amenity fees, commonly known as day-use fees, at recreation sites in the Northwest.  Most of those fees help maintain the sites on which the fees are collected.

This fee waiver applies to day-use fees at Forest Service recreation sites across Oregon and Washington. This includes many picnic areas, boat launches, trailheads and visitor centers. Concession operations will continue to charge fees unless the permit holder wishes to participate.  Fees for camping, cabin rentals, heritage expeditions, or other permits will not be waived.

For more information on specific fee sites, call your local national forest or visit their website through www.fs.usda.gov