The National Park Service has announced three fee-free weekends this summer to encourage Americans seeking affordable vacations to visit these national treasures. At Mount Rainier and other national parks, all park entrance fees, including commercial tour entrance fees, will be waived on the following dates: June 20-21, July 18-19, and August 15-16, 2009. These fee free weekends are in addition to the usual fee free days: National Public Lands Day, which falls on September 26 this year, and Veterans Day, November 11.

In addition to supporting affordable vacations for families, the Park Service hopes to give a small shot in the arm to businesses in the area. Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, announced the fee-free days at a press conference at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio recently. “Tourism income helps America’s economic recovery,” Salazar said. “National park sites in the Great Lakes states, for example, attract 8 million recreation visits a year that bring $211 million into the local economy.”

Entrance fees will be waived at the 147 sites across the country that charge for admission. The 244 other parks do not charge entrance fees. The waiver does not include other fees, such as fees charged for camping, reservations, climbing, or use of concessions. For more information on national parks, go to www.nps.gov.