Yosemite National Park is Celebrating Founder’s Day on August 25th (which, coincidentally, is National Parks Day, too!).
Park entrance fees are waived for the Day! All other fees associated with camping, lodging, or activities within the park are not waived. The fee waiver is good for Sunday, August 25, Founder’s Day, only.
From the National Park Service website:
Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra.
First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.
If you can’t make it to Yosemite, remember: August 25th is National Parks day, and many parks are offering free park admission on that day! Check with your local park and see if it’s free!
The National Parks Service will mark its 97th anniversary on Sunday, Aug. 25. Most of the parks will be celebrating by offering 
Amusing Planet posted a blog with GREAT pictures about Half Dome and the joys of hiking to the top.
As a big fan of our open spaces including national forest, state parks, and so on I firmly believe that using them to grow marijuana is a bad idea. It’s not that I’m against the plant in any way – I’m very 420 friendly – I just don’t believe public lands should be used to grow it. I’m a firm supporter of the Mendocino County, California’s yellow zip-tie program from a couple of years back. It was a great idea, and it’s a shame the state of California didn’t stand behind it and allowed the federal government to swoop in and wipe out the legal and law-abiding growers crops.
Dick Hagerty, an Oakdale real estate developer active in community nonprofits, has written an excellent community column in the Modesto Bee about getting outdoors and hiking the Sierras.