99th Anniversary of the U.S. National Parks Service

In celebration of 99 years of protecting our wild national heritage, the National Park Service is giving us all a free pass. Admission to our national parks is waived all day today. The Park Service was created by an act signed by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916. Our beloved Yellowstone National Park was established by an Act signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, as the nation's first national park. It's hard to conceive of a time when this special place wasn't protected land. In that time, natural sites like the Grand Prismatic Pool in Midway Basin, have become symbols of of the natural history of the U.S.