PORT ANGELES — Olympic National Park and more than 100 other national parks that usually charge entrance fees will be offering free admission this weekend.
In addition, many national park concessionaires have special offers for the weekend with discounts and coupons for rooms, tours and products.
It is part of an effort by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to encourage all Americans to visit the national parks.
Two more days with free entrance are scheduled for the fall on Sept. 25 and Nov. 11.
In addition to free admission to Olympic National Park:
— A forest treasure hunt will be held at the park’s Heart O’ the Hills campground amphitheater from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Park rangers will provide a family-friendly, hands-on exploration of the forest around the campground.
Attendees should wear weather-appropriate clothing and shoes.
The treasure hunts will continue on Saturdays through Sept. 4.
The program is free, but the park will have resumed collecting entrance fees next weekend at the Heart O’ the Hills entrance station before the campground.
For more information, phone Janis Burger at 360-565-3136.
— Explore the summer night sky indoors at a free, one-hour, all-ages, planetarium-style program at the ONP Visitor Center in Port Angeles, 3002 Mount Angeles Road, at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
— John Goar leads a free one-hour astronomy program with telescopes at Hurricane Ridge, 17 miles up a paved road from Port Angeles, in the national park.
Meet him at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center at 10 p.m. His skywatching programs are every night this week through Sunday night.
Goar will return Aug. 28 through Sept. 6 and on Sept. 11 with nightly programs that begin at 9:30 p.m.
If skies are cloudy Goar’s program will be canceled.
For program status, phone the park phone recording at 360-565-3131 after 4 p.m. the day of the program.
