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January 19 is a Free Entrance Day at the National Parks

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  • Hikers stand in the Keyhole on Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.


Ethan Welty / Getty Images/Aurora Creative

Hikers stand in the Keyhole on Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Image 1 of 20 – Visit a National Park

Hikers stand in the Keyhole on Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Hikers stand in the Keyhole on Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National…Park, Colorado.

Gareth Mccormack / Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

Weathered rock on the coastline at Acadia National Park.

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Weathered rock on the coastline at Acadia National Park.

Weathered rock on the coastline at Acadia National Park.

Malcolm MacGregor / Getty Images/Flickr Open

A sunrise in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the Tennessee–North Carolina border.

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A sunrise in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the Tennessee–North Carolina border.

A sunrise in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the…Tennessee–North Carolina border.

Michael H Spivak / Getty Images/Flickr RF

Bison roam in Yellowstone.

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Bison roam in Yellowstone.

Bison roam in Yellowstone.

Brent Clark Photography / Getty Images/Flickr RF

Mirror reflection of the Grand Teton Range in Wyoming, taken from Swabaucher’s Landing in Grand Teton National Park.

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Mirror reflection of the Grand Teton Range in Wyoming, taken from Swabaucher’s Landing in Grand Teton National Park.

Mirror reflection of the Grand Teton Range in Wyoming, taken from…Swabaucher’s Landing in Grand Teton National Park.

Jake Bacon / Associated Press

Tourists visit the Hualapai Indian Reservation along the western end of the Grand Canyon.

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Tourists visit the Hualapai Indian Reservation along the western end of the Grand Canyon.

Tourists visit the Hualapai Indian Reservation along the western end…of the Grand Canyon.

Tom Stienstra / Tom Stienstra

From Hat Lake looking out to Paradise Meadows, with 10,457-foot Lassen Peak looming overhead in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

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From Hat Lake looking out to Paradise Meadows, with 10,457-foot Lassen Peak looming overhead in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

From Hat Lake looking out to Paradise Meadows, with 10,457-foot Lassen…Peak looming overhead in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Kathy Matheson / Associated Press

Yosemite Valley as seen from Tunnel View with three of Yosemite National Park’s best-known natural attractions: The El Capitan summit on the left, the granite peak known as Half Dome in the distant center, and Bridalveil Fall on the right. The park, in California, is one of the nation’s most-visited national parks.

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Yosemite Valley as seen from Tunnel View with three of Yosemite National Park’s best-known natural attractions: The El Capitan summit on the left, the granite peak known as Half Dome in the distant center, and Bridalveil Fall on the right. The park, in California, is one of the nation’s most-visited national parks.

Yosemite Valley as seen from Tunnel View with three of Yosemite…National Park’s best-known natural attractions: The El Capitan summit…on the left, the granite peak known as Half Dome in the distant…center, and Bridalveil Fall on the right. The park, in California,…is one of the nation’s most-visited national parks.

Mike Norton / Shutterstock

Arches National Park in Utah.

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Arches National Park in Utah.

Arches National Park in Utah.

South Dakota Tourism / ONLINE_YES

Badlands National Park, in South Dakota.

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Badlands National Park, in South Dakota.

Badlands National Park, in South Dakota.

Janet Fullwood / Special to The Chronicle

Slabs of salt compounds formed by the evaporation of an ancient sea bed, piled into a cairn, are seen in an area known as the Devil’s Golf Course at Death Valley National Park.

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Slabs of salt compounds formed by the evaporation of an ancient sea bed, piled into a cairn, are seen in an area known as the Devil’s Golf Course at Death Valley National Park.

Slabs of salt compounds formed by the evaporation of an ancient sea…bed, piled into a cairn, are seen in an area known as the Devil’s Golf…Course at Death Valley National Park.

Richard Perry / NYT

Hikers coming up out of the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab trail, headed for the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz.

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Hikers coming up out of the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab trail, headed for the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz.

Hikers coming up out of the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab trail,…headed for the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz.

John Flinn / Special to The Chronicle

Geat Basin National Park: Wheeler Peak seen from just above the bristlecone pine grove.

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Geat Basin National Park: Wheeler Peak seen from just above the bristlecone pine grove.

Geat Basin National Park: Wheeler Peak seen from just above the…bristlecone pine grove.

CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS / LA Times

River waters run shallow at Santa Elena Canyon in Texas’ Big Bend National Park. Except for a few days out of the year, the Rio Grande runs slow and shallow.

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River waters run shallow at Santa Elena Canyon in Texas’ Big Bend National Park. Except for a few days out of the year, the Rio Grande runs slow and shallow.

River waters run shallow at Santa Elena Canyon in Texas’ Big Bend…National Park. Except for a few days out of the year, the Rio Grande…runs slow and shallow.

BETH J HARPAZ / AP

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is famous for unusual rock formations like those on the Peek-a-boo Trail.

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Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is famous for unusual rock formations like those on the Peek-a-boo Trail.

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is famous for unusual rock…formations like those on the Peek-a-boo Trail.

Spud Hilton / SFC

One of the giant sequoia trees in Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park. Grant Grove was protected as Gen. Grant National Park in 1890 in the same bill that made Yosemite a national park.

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One of the giant sequoia trees in Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park. Grant Grove was protected as Gen. Grant National Park in 1890 in the same bill that made Yosemite a national park.

One of the giant sequoia trees in Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National…Park. Grant Grove was protected as Gen. Grant National Park in 1890 in…the same bill that made Yosemite a national park.

Courtesy National Park Service / AP

Devils Tower, an unusual rock formation in northeastern Wyoming, rises above a grassy field used by Indians for sacred ceremonies. The site has been a national monument for the past century.

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Devils Tower, an unusual rock formation in northeastern Wyoming, rises above a grassy field used by Indians for sacred ceremonies. The site has been a national monument for the past century.

Devils Tower, an unusual rock formation in northeastern Wyoming, rises…above a grassy field used by Indians for sacred ceremonies. The site…has been a national monument for the past century.

David Jordan / AP

Ranger Arnold Nakata from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park approaches a skylight in a lava tube to measure the levels of hazardous gases being discharged from the opening near Kalapana, Hawaii.

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Ranger Arnold Nakata from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park approaches a skylight in a lava tube to measure the levels of hazardous gases being discharged from the opening near Kalapana, Hawaii.

Ranger Arnold Nakata from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park approaches a…skylight in a lava tube to measure the levels of hazardous gases being…discharged from the opening near Kalapana, Hawaii.

Spud Hilton / SFC

Lembert Dome and the Tuolomne River are part of the scenery in Tuolumne Meadows at Yosemite National Park.

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Lembert Dome and the Tuolomne River are part of the scenery in Tuolumne Meadows at Yosemite National Park.

Lembert Dome and the Tuolomne River are part of the scenery in…Tuolumne Meadows at Yosemite National Park.

Tom Haines / Boston Globe

In Olympic National Park, a 37-inch-tall Massachusetts native embraces a sitka spruce more than 290 feet tall en route to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympia, Wash.

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In Olympic National Park, a 37-inch-tall Massachusetts native embraces a sitka spruce more than 290 feet tall en route to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympia, Wash.

In Olympic National Park, a 37-inch-tall Massachusetts native embraces…a sitka spruce more than 290 feet tall en route to the Hoh Rain Forest…in Olympia, Wash.

If it were a free day at all movie theaters or a free day at all coffee shops, there would be a mass exodus from homes and offices, as well as 24-hour live news coverage of the epic event.

But it’s just National Parks. Free. Jan. 19. Don’t everybody head for the door at once.

The National Park Service again will offer free admission to all 405 parks in the system to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Yes, free admission. The sad truth, however, is that we as a society don’t deserve the National Parks, free or otherwise. Here’s a few thoughts on why:

We take them for granted: For most of us, they’ve been there for our entire lives. We assume they’re always going to be there. I mean, it’s not like they’re going to pick up and move somewhere else, right?

Screwy priorities: At what point did the Discovery Channel, which used to air more programming about nature and the planet, become the Hillbilly Job Network? Swamp loggers? Moon Shiners? Duck hunters? Really? Is there seriously more interest in how many jugs of illegal alcohol some backwater meathead was able to distill and distribute than there is in, oh say, the Grand Canyon? Sadly, yes. (Of course the real joke is that if any of Discovery’s viewers actually met the subjects of these shows on the street, they likely would avoid eye contact and walk past quickly.)

Maybe they’re too cheap: As a society, we rarely value something unless it’s expensive. (On “Antiques Road Show” you don’t often hear people say, “It’s a wonderful piece of family history with great sentimental value, so I don’t care that it’s only worth less than a bar of hotel soap.”) Seriously, if you have to pay $318 admission for a family of four at Disneyland for one day, and Kings Canyon National Park only costs $15 per carload, how interesting could the Kings Canyon be? Maybe if they ratcheted up the admission — say $60 per person — maybe people would believe the experience is worth more.

For those who appreciate both the parks and a bargain, or those who were looking for an excuse to visit, other free days this year include:

  • Presidents Day weekend, Feb. 14-16
  • Opening weekend of National Park Week, April 18-19
  • National Park Service Birthday, Aug. 25
  • National Public Lands Day, Sept. 26
  • Veterans Day, Nov. 11

For more details and information on parks, go to www.nps.gov.

(National Park Service fine print: “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.”)

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