8/25: Free admission to Grand Canyon, national parks

Visitors to national parks in Arizona and across the country will get free admission on Monday, Aug. 25, in honor of the National Park Service's 98th birthday.

The savings could be as much as $25 per vehicle for visitors to Grand Canyon National Park. If you're in the mood for something closer to the Phoenix area, here are some options:

• Tonto National Monument, near Roosevelt Lake.

• Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

• Montezuma Castle, Montezuma Well and Tuzigoot national monuments in the Verde Valley.

• Walnut Canyon and Wupatki-Sunset Crater national monuments in Flagstaff.

• Saguaro National Monument in Tucson.

There are 27 national parks, monuments, historic sites and recreation areas in Arizona and 401 across the country.

Admission fees will be waived, but there will still be charges for campsites, tours, concessions and the like. Visitors to parks that have multiday admission fees, such as Grand Canyon, where the fee is good for seven days, will have to pay the fee starting Tuesday.

There are two more free days this year: National Public Lands Day, Sept. 27, and Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

Details: www.nps.gov.