National Park 2023 Free Entrance Days and Participating Colorado Locations

Photo byImage by Jörg Vieli from Pixabay

(Colorado) Some of the most beautiful scenery in the country is found in national parks. There are lush forests, rugged mountains, and vast plains with spectacular colors, fresh air, and fascinating wildlife.

To ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the nation's more than 400 parks, the National Park Service has five free admission days in 2023, and the first one is in January.

The 2023 National Park free entry days are:

• 16 January - Martin Luther King's Birthday
• 22 April - the first day of National Park Week
• 04 August - anniversary of the signing of the Great Americans Outdoor Act
• 23 September - National Public Lands Day
• 11 November - Veterans Day

In Colorado, there are thirteen national parks, sites, and monuments to visit on free entrance day including a new addition to the national park system in 2022, Amache.

Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, was one of ten Japanese American incarceration sites during World War II and the only one in Colorado. Between 1942 and 1945, more than 10,000 people were detained at Amache.

The historic site is in a remote area outside Granada, a small town in southeastern Colorado. It has a cemetery, a monument, and several reconstructed buildings from the camp era including barracks, a guard tower, and a water tower. Amache is not gated and can be toured during daylight hours at no cost year-round.

The thirteen Colorado sites in the National Park system are:

1. Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site - La Junta, Colorado
2. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - Montrose, Colorado
3. Colorado National Monument - Fruita, Colorado
4. Curecanti National Recreation Center - Gunnison, Colorado
5. Dinosaur National Monument - Dinosaur, Colorado (the town closest to the visitor center)
6. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument - Florissant, Colorado
7. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve - Mosca, Colorado
8. Hovenweep National Monument - Cortez, Colorado
9. Mesa Verde National Park - Cortez and Mancos, Colorado
10. Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park and Grand Lake, Colorado
11. Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site - Kiowa County, Colorado
12. Yucca House National Monument - Cortez, Colorado
13. Amache - 1.5 miles west of Granada, Colorado

Free admission days are an excellent opportunity to explore new areas in Colorado. Please check each location's website before visiting for seasonal hours.