Fee-free fun in the national parks

Tired of the 'staycation' but can't afford a big weekend splurge? So go take a hike... in a beautiful national park (that's me in Yosemite's Mariposa Grove, at right). The National Park Service is offering up one more fee-free weekend this summer. All 147 National Park Service sites that charge entry fees (ranging from from $3 to $25), will waive them on August 15 and 16.

Their goal: to encourage cash-strapped families to visit national parks (and thereby boosting local economies). Your goal: free fun, of course. *Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

A sampling of free national parks in California on Aug 15-16:
Death Valley
Kings Canyon
Lassen
Muir Woods
Pinnacles
Yosemite

Details: Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.