Death Valley offering free admission Tuesday

The National Park Service is close to reaching a milestone birthday and a popular area attraction wants to celebrate by offering everyone a gift.

Death Valley National Park wants to give visitors a present by providing free entry to all who visit the park on Founders Day Aug. 25. Doing so will save everyone who visits that day $20, or the normal per vehicle fee charged.

All are urged to come and witness the sparkling night sky, hike one of the various peaks, or see the lowest spot in North America.

Looking toward next year's centennial celebration, the National Park Service is starting up the

Find Your Park campaign.

Created to urge visitors to enjoy everything national parks have to offer, the service created a list called "99 Ways to Find Your Park," for visitors to initiate at various sites across the country.

"Birthdays are a time to celebrate and we want everyone to join the party," said Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds. "Death Valley National Park offers something for everyone, from the lowest elevation in North America to two miles high, so I invite you to visit and Find Your Park."

For Death Valley the park service recommends trying out No. 17, find life in a desert and No. 99, take a sunrise selfie. Those who take part can share their experiences with others by posting on social media using the hashtag #FindYourPark.

On Aug. 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation to create the National Park Service. Today, there are 408 national parks throughout the country and each one tells an important part of the American story.

Death Valley National Park was established in 1994 to preserve the natural and cultural resources of the area. Last year, more than 1.1 million park visitors enjoyed the site and added $89 million to the local economy, supporting 1,264 area jobs. For more information on Death Valley National Park go to www.nps.gov/deva.