Free Parking

Not to mention exercise, beauty and history at sites across the country

THE OVERALL number of visitors to national parks has fallen over the past decade, from more than 286 million in 2000 to 275 million last year. More significant is that per capita park visitation is at its lowest since 1975. Since 1990, it has ceased to be true that the average American visits a national park at least once a year. Whether this reflects an increased interest in other forms of entertainment, a general aversion to outdoor activities or tightened family budgets, it is a distressing trend -- especially as the government pumps nearly $3 billion into the parks annually to make them more enticing.

If anything, Americans have more reasons to visit our parks now than they did 10 years ago. Few activities combine exercise, history and environmental consciousness like a walk through a national park. And parks are good for the economy, generating more than $12 billion for local economies and more than 200,000 jobs. Those in search of service opportunities need look no further: The National Park Service relies on more than 140,000 volunteers to supplement its workforce and is seeking to expand its volunteer hours still further in time for its centennial in 2016.

The Park Service's announcement of "Fee-Free" weekends this weekend, July 18-19 and Aug. 15-16 may lead to a misperception. In fact, the majority -- 244 of America's 391 national parks -- have always been "fee-free." But these special weekends provide a helpful reminder of the dozens of always free parks in the Washington area, including symbols of hope such as the Washington Monument and places of remembrance such as Arlington National Cemetery. The District's Lincoln Memorial was one of 2008's top ten most-visited sites in the whole U.S. park system, attracting more than 4 million visitors. Yet according to a 1998 study, a scant 13 percent of visitors to the Mall were from the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. Surely we can do better.

Parks aspire to be what our nation aspires to be: "inspiring, safe, and accessible." They are places of stunning natural beauty and deep historical moment. They are quickly accessible by car, bus or Metro. And if you go on one of the "Fee-Free" weekends, you might get a free shopping bag.