On Black Friday, the nation’s busiest shopping day of the year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is offering free access to all 42 state parks to encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy what money can’t buy.
Parks and Wildlife introduced “Fresh Air Friday” last year to push people outside the day after Thanksgiving. Working in conjunction with this effort, more than 50 retailers statewide will be closed Friday to further persuade people to spend the year’s final snowless days in the fresh air.
Closest to Durango are Mancos and Navajo state parks, both of which offer reservoir views, fishing and miles of trails for hiking and horseback riding.
Great Outdoors Colorado, a Denver-based nonprofit, will cover all costs for free park access.
“Outdoor experiences benefit people of all ages, and as part of GOCO’s mission and our Inspire Initiative, we’re especially excited to help Colorado kids and their families access our state’s great outdoors,” said Jason Brinkley, chairman of the GOCO board of trustees.
“Fresh Air Friday is a fitting use of GOCO funding through CPW because it facilitates easy access to the outdoors at Colorado’s amazing state parks,” he said. “We’d like to hear that Coloradans enjoy their state park visits so much that they make getting outdoors a part of their ongoing holiday traditions.”
Recreation and outdoor supplier REI also announced this month it will close all 143 of its retail stores on Black Friday once again, including headquarters and distribution centers, and it will pay its 12,000 employees to take the day off.
