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As the National Park Service (NPS) prepares for a second century of service, Grand Canyon National Park celebrates the significant accomplishments of the NPS centennial celebration and looks ahead to its own park centennial in 2019.

Grand Canyon National Park celebrated its 6 millionth visitor as its final National Park Service Centennial event.

The distinction went to the Johnson family from Las Vegas, Nevada. Delighted to be part of the celebration, James and Abigail Johnson and their kids Sophia and Elijah were first time visitors to Grand Canyon National Park. “At first I didn’t think it was real”, exclaimed Sophia, “but I’m really happy we’re the 6 millionth!”

In honor of those that serve and have served in the United States military, Grand Canyon National Park will offer everyone free entrance on Veterans Day Friday, November 11.

Fee-free designation applies to entrance fees only and does not affect fees for camping, reservations, tours, or use of concessions. Park entrance stations will have the Interagency Senior and Annual passes available for those who wish to purchase them. Visitors who plan to spend time in the park beyond November 11 will need to pay the regular entrance fee the remainder of their stay.

On Wednesday, November 9, Grand Canyon National Park will host a Native American Indian Heritage Celebration with special presentations and demonstrations. Grand Canyon visitors and residents are invited to participate in this special day to recognize and celebrate the many accomplishments, contributions, and sacrifices made by First Americans.

Celebrate National Public Lands Day with free entrance to Grand Canyon National Park Saturday, September 24. National Public Lands Day promotes enjoyment and stewardship of our nation's public lands. As part of the festivities, visitors can participate in an inaugural ride on the Greenway Trail or attend a lively story-filled evening program.

As wild fire danger increases in the park, please observe the following year-round fire restrictions:

• Within the park, fires are only allowed in designated campgrounds and may only be ignited in grills or designated fire rings
• If you are hiking and camping below the rim, cook stoves may be used, but campfires and other open fires are never allowed
• If you are on a river trip, campfires are only allowed in elevated metal pans, and use of a fire proof blanket under the pan is required

For information about fire restrictions on other public lands in Arizona and New Mexico call the Southwest Area Fire Restriction Information Line at 877-864-6985.

National Park Service (NPS) fire managers successfully treated 994 acres with prescribed (Rx) fire on the South Rim of Grand Canyon. The Shoshone Rx burn unit, between Yaki and Duck on a Rock points, consisted primarily of ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, and juniper.

Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park over Memorial Day weekend can expect long lines, crowds, and full parking lots. Last year, Grand Canyon's visitation hit an all-time high and the park is already seeing an increase over last year's numbers. The park anticipates a busier-than-normal holiday weekend.

The twenty-sixth annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held from Saturday, June 4 through Saturday, June 11, 2016 on the South and North rims of Grand Canyon National Park. National parks such as Grand Canyon are protective harbors for some of the last remaining dark skies in this country. This year's Grand Canyon Star Party honors Joe Orr, a Star Party enthusiast and protector of Grand Canyon's skies, who died in 2013. This is one of many special events going on in national parks across the country in this centennial year of the National Park Service.

Like nearly all American national parks, Grand Canyon National Park has a huge maintenance backlog due to years of underfunding by Congress. Yet the park smashed it's visitation record in 2015 with 5.5 million visitors, and is expected to break that record again this year. Between lower gas prices and celebrations around the National Park Service's 100th birthday this year, the number of visits continues on the upward trend:

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2016/04/04/20323/