Veterans Day: Fee-free day at national parks and forests -- and ceremony at Mount Tamalpais State Park

Veterans Day may be best spent outdoors because national parks and forests offer free admission Thursday and state parks are marking the day with some special events.

National parks will waive admission fees Thursday in honor of Veterans Day. In addition, some will have special ceremonies. For example, Valley Forge National Historic Park in Pennsylvania will have a moment of silence and wreath-laying ceremony in tribute to Revolutionary War veterans. Go to the National Park Service website to find out more.

National forests also will waive entrance fees for Veterans Day. About 6,000 of the 17,000 sites managed by the National Forest Service normally charge fees. Go to the National Forest Service website to learn more. In Southern California, the forest fee is known as the Adventure Pass. One exception: The Santa Barbara Ranger District’s Lower Santa Ynez Recreation Area will require an Adventure Pass on Thursday.

California State Parks aren’t waiving admission fees for the general public but have planned some events for Thursday.

• An overlook at Mount Tamalpais State Park near San Francisco will be dedicated to veterans as “a place for healing” during a 1 p.m. ceremony Thursday. The overlook is accessed via a half-mile walk on the Old Mine Trail, where a plaque will posted.
• State parks in the Orange Coast District, which includes Bolsa Chica State Beach, Crystal Cove State Park and others sites, are waiving fees for active military and veterans Thursday. In addition, the district is hosting an open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the 1930s-era cottages at San Clemente State Beach.