In celebration of National Kids to Parks day later this month, The North Face is expanding its annual Explore Your Parks program to encourage families to get outdoors and enjoy the nations State Parks. The North Face, along with American Hiking Society, Leave No Trace, The National Park Trust and State Parks across the country, have teamed up for seven events across the country, including the Bay Area, Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Denver, Portland, and Minneapolis/Saint Paul.
Drawing attention to close-to-home outdoor opportunities for everyone — from children to seniors — to get outside, get healthy, and have fun is at the core of the Lets Move Outside, said Robin Schepper, Executive Director of Lets Move!. Bringing families into the State Parks is not only enjoyable, but also helps build lasting lessons in fitness and the natural environment.
The North Face is offering free day passes and an activity guide to local parks in their areas to consumers who visit www.exploreyourparks.com.
To kick off the program, Michael Wardian, five-time winner of the National Marathon and The North Face Endurance team athlete, will join National Park Trust, American Hiking Society, The North Face and hundreds of Washington D.C. urban youth on May 21, 2011 at Mason Neck State Park (Lorton, VA) for National Kids to Parks Day. The event will run from 9 a.m.-noon local time and will feature hikes, demonstrations and giveaways.
At The North Face, were committed to encouraging more people to get outdoors and we want to bring attention to the dozens of unique places to explore nature close to home within our treasured state parks system said Todd Spaletto, president of The North Face. Because last year was such a success, this year were expanding the Explore Your Parks program from one to seven cities to help maintain access to front country opportunities for even more people.
The North Face is encouraging an active, healthy lifestyle while creating stronger connections between people and the outdoors and were proud to be a partner, said Grace Lee, executive director of The National Park Trust. State Parks provide endless opportunities for kids and families to be active and have fun-hiking, climbing, running, biking, volunteering, camping, playing sports, paddling and the list goes on.
Local events take place from June through October, or visit www.exploryourparks.com for complete details:
June 4: Portland (Stub Stewart State Park, Buxton, OR)
June 18: Boston (Neponset River Reservation, Boston, MA)
August 1: Denver (Barr Lake State Park, Brighton, CO)
October 1: St. Paul (Fort Snelling State Park, Saint. Paul, MN)
October 8: New York (Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, Yorktown Heights, NY)
October 15: Bay Area (Mount Diablo State Park, Clayton, CA)
State Park Partners include those in California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon and Virginia.
