Death Valley to offer free admission for Veterans Day

As temperatures cool, November is as a good time as any to visit Death Valley National Park.

To entice visitors, there are special events and a free entrance fee day on Veterans Day, planned for the month.

All National Park Service areas, including Death Valley, will waive park entrance fees on Nov. 11 in honor of Veterans Day. That will save a park-goer $25 per vehicle on a seven-day entrance pass for the holiday.

The Death Valley ‘49ers Encampment takes place Nov. 9-13. Activities include western music, cowboy poetry, art show, a historic wagon train, covered wagon rides, and presentations by park rangers, authors, historians, and the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe.

The nonprofit Death Valley ‘49ers plans the encampment with several free activities, but some events require membership in the Death Valley ‘49ers. New members can sign up at a booth during the event for $25 per person or $40 per family.

If beautifying Death Valley sounds interesting, then the NPS urges you to get involved at the park. The park is hosting volunteer events on November’s holiday weekends, Nov. 12, Nov. 25 and Nov. 26. Families are welcome to attend and additional details will be available online about a week in advance of the scheduled event.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will hold a special naturalization ceremony in Death Valley to welcome 20 new citizens to the United States. The ceremony takes place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes parking area, with an indoor backup location at Stovepipe Wells.

As part of Death Valley’s night sky viewing, park rangers will host a Full Moon Fest on Nov. 23 and a Night Sky Party on Friday, December 2.

With the cooler temperatures leading to increasing visitation, park rangers are offering regularly-scheduled hikes and ranger talks.

Daily programs include a Golden Canyon Hike at 9 a.m. and a Harmony Borax Works Talk at 2:30 p.m. Flint knapping demonstrations are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 9 a.m until 3 p.m. Information on additional programs is available each week at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center or www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/tours.htm.

More information about Death Valley National Park’s special events can be found at www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/calendar.htm. While additional information about the events can be found at www.deathvalley49ers.org, but a detailed schedule is only available upon arrival.

Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.