At 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, American Legion Post 800 will host its annual Veterans Day service. Commander Ygnacio Garcia is the speaker, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

A free lunch follows the service.

Also this Saturday, the U.S. Forest Service will waive standard amenity fees for all visitors to national forest and grassland day-use areas to show gratitude for the selfless service of the brave military men and women who served the country and the support of their families.

“On Veterans Day, we remember that the Forest Service employs more than 5,000 veterans in jobs throughout the agency,” said Jennifer Eberlien, regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region. “Furthermore, we want to make sure our nation’s veterans not only feel valued but also have the opportunity to connect with nature, along with family and friends, on our national forests. This is more important than ever during these challenging times.”

The Forest Service offers fee-free access a few times each year to encourage exploring national forests and grasslands. On these special days, standard amenity fees charged for day use sites — like picnic areas, developed trailheads and destination visitor centers — are waived. The waiver does not apply to special recreation permits, cabin rentals, campground reservations, expanded amenity fees on certain highly developed sites and service fees assessed by independent concessionaires operating on national forest land.

Fee-free public lands access is available year-round to U.S. military service members and their families, veterans and Gold Star family members. The Interagency Military Pass is available at no cost to all active-duty military personnel and their families at https://store.usgs.gov/MilitaryPass. This pass is honored nationwide at all U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service sites charging standard amenity or entrance fees.

In celebrating the service of U.S. military veterans, California State Parks is offering free admission to 144 select state parks on Veterans Day, too.

One of those is the Mt. San Jacinto State Park.

“State Parks recognizes the many sacrifices members of our nation’s military and their families have made and continue to make in the service of their country,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “It is appropriate to invite all military veterans, reservists, and active-duty personnel to visit state parks for free and connect with nature.”

Signed by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. in 2013, Assembly Bill 150 (Olsen), authorized California State Parks to offer veterans, active duty, and reserve military personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and the National Guard of any state a reduced fee or free day use at participating state parks.

A full list of the participating park units can be found online at parks.ca.gov/VeteransDay2023. To enter these park units for free, a valid military ID or a California driver’s license identifying the individual as a veteran must be shown to park staff.

Visitors are asked to recreate responsibly, plan ahead and visit the web or social media pages of their destination to confirm hours of operation and view visitor guidelines.