On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act creating the National Park Service (NPS), a new federal bureau in the Department of the Interior responsible for protecting the 35 national parks and monuments then managed by the department and those yet to be established (now there are 408 national parks!). Founders’ Day also marks fee free day to all national parks.
To celebrate the upcoming centennial of NPS in 2016, the National Park Foundation (NPF) launched their Find Your Park campaign to encourage everyone to get up, get out there and #FindYourPark – no matter your interest. Provided below are 99 ways you could celebrate NPS’ 99th birthday on August 25, 2015 and get ready for NPS’ big 100th birthday next year.
1 Go climbing
3 Be an urban hiker
4 Visit a National Heritage Area
5 Dance
7 Discover a culture new to you
8 Experience silence
9 Walk through a doorway of a historic house
10 Find inspiration in the story of a civil rights leader
11 Go on a ranger-led tour #rangerspointingatthings
12 Hug a tree
13 Make a memory
14 Earn a Jr. Ranger badge
15 Relax on the banks of a scenic river
16 Celebrate innovation
17 Find life in a desert
18 Get inspired by a First Lady
19 Stand on a mountaintop
20 Bring a kid to a park
22 Take a photo that matches a historic one #retrogram
23 Try something new
24 Channel your inner Bill Nye—become a citizen scientist
25 Walk a historic main street
26 Find your park in Spanish #encuentratuparque
27 Explore a cave
28 Go green
29 Brush up your national park trivia skills
30 Scout a park, boys and girls!
31 Make art in a park
32 Celebrate Native American heritage
33 Come sail away
34 Take a picnic and dine al fresco
36 Hit the road
37 Enlighten yourself at a historic lighthouse
38 Go biking
39 Explore Asian American and Pacific Islander culture in America
40 Feel the sand between your toes
42 Learn about endangered species
43 Join us
44 Follow NPS on social media
45 Follow the footsteps of a woman who made history
46 Get in the know about H2O
47 Bee pollinator friendly
49 Catch a wave
50 Immerse yourself in a living history program
51 Hit record
52 Get prehistoric
53 Improve your health—get a park Rx
54 Use your free active military pass
55 Get reel—Visit a park featured in your favorite movie
56 Join a trail clean-up
57 See the sea
58 Discover a traditional tribal cultural practice
59 Let Elmo and Murray be your guides
60 Mail a postcard
61 Discover history around you
63 Raft down a river
64 Pay your respects at a national cemetery
65 Pick a POTUS
66 Take a mini-cruise
68 Walk nature’s treadmill
69 Pose for a family photo in a park
70 Recognize women who made history
71 Reflect on our most difficult stories
73 Ride on a historic carousel
74 Run
75 See history from a different perspective
76 Renew your spirit
77 See how NPS helps transform your community
78 Go fish
79 See the starry, starry night
80 Make a splash
81 Share a #tbt park photo
82 Discover the beauty of our nation’s other public lands
83 Sleep outside
84 Spread the love—thank a park volunteer
85 Plan the best field trip ever
86 Visit our international sisters
87 Trash Your Trash
88 Find a monument and decode history
89 Travel the Underground Railroad
90 Use the buddy system!
91 Visit for free on our 99th birthday
92 Wander an American battlefield
93 Watch wildlife
95 Go wild: Experience wilderness
96 Use a national park lesson plan
97 Play
98 Take a sunrise selfie
99 Get ready to celebrate with us in 2016!
