The National Park Services is offering visitors to national parks across the country a get-in-free deal during three weekends this summer.

But visitors to the park service's most popular attraction in South Dakota - Mount Rushmore National Memorial - are likely to still face a parking fee.

The memorial doesn't charge an entrance fee. But it does charge $10 per vehicle and $50 per bus for an annual parking fee. The fees are used by the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Society to pay off the cost of constructing the parking ramp at the memorial during the mid-1990s. At this point, the parking fees are unlikely to be waived for the National Park Service's free weekends, society president Gene Lebrun of Rapid City said.

"We have a debt obligation to meet on our financing, and we need that revenue," Lebrun said Tuesday.

The society's board of directors will meet before the first NPS free weekend June 20-21, but Lebrun said it is unlikely the parking fee will be waived. Mount Rushmore superintendent Gerard Baker said the parking-fee decision rests with the society, not the park service.

"Our entrance is free. What we do charge for is the parking," Baker said.

There are a limited number of parking spots outside of the controlled parking ramp. But for practical purposes, most Rushmore visitors end up using the ramp and paying the fee.

Baker said NSP has in past years offered free-entrance opportunities but not three weekends as it will offer this year. The intent of NPS officials is to encourage Americans to visit national parks such Badlands National Park, Devils Tower, Jewel Cave and Wind Cave in and near the Black Hills.

The free weekends also will include high profile parks nationwide, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain National Park.

The fee waivers will apply to all 391 national parks across the country, from Alaska to Florida.

All 147 National Park Service sites that charge fees for entry will waive entrance fees on June 20 and 21, July 18 and 19 and Aug. 15 and 16.

Entry fees being waived range from $3 to $25. That does not apply to fees charged for camping, reservations, tours or concessions.

The added opportunity to visit most national parks for free is a valuable way to bring new visitors to the parks or reacquaint previous visitors, Baker said.

"I think what this does is entice folks to come in without paying and take a look at the resources available, really in their own backyards," Baker said. "It's like the state of South Dakota and its free fishing-free parks weekend. It gives people an opportunity to go there."

There may be practical reasons for some people to come in as well, given the difficult economic times, Baker said.

"Maybe some people in this day and age cannot afford to come into national parks," he said.

Contact Kevin Woster at kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8413.