Apple celebrates America’s national parks this August

Ahead of the 103rd anniversary of the US National Park Service, Apple today introduced new ways customers can enjoy and support America’s parks, including an Apple Pay donation program, an Apple Watch Activity Challenge and special content and collections on Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and more.

“The beauty in our parks is obvious to all observers but their most profound contribution is to our spirit,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are proud to support them.”

From August 17 through August 25, Apple will make a $10 donation to the National Park Foundation for each purchase made with Apple Pay at an Apple Store, apple.com or the Apple Store app in the US.¹ Apple’s donation will support programs across the country that help to connect young people who wouldn’t otherwise have the means with transformative park experiences. These programs range from elementary classroom field trips to immersive multi-day experiences in parks, plus multi-week services corps for young adults that help foster skills and leadership, while providing capacity to critical parks projects.

At the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area this summer, Apple volunteers supported a project led by SAMO Youth, a summer service corps for outstanding local high school juniors and seniors. Volunteers were taught how to build benches and pot native plants in a nursery while assisting efforts to recover from the 2018 Woolsey Fire.

The National Park Foundation is the official charitable partner of the National Park Service, and together they work to protect and enhance everyone’s ability to enjoy the natural, cultural and historic treasures within America’s national parks. Apple supports these programs because they help give thousands of kids opportunities for open exploration, sparking passion and curiosity, and inspiring new generations to leave the world better than they found it.

This month, Apple is also encouraging people to celebrate and explore their parks by learning about them through special collections and activities across Apple’s services.

The Apple TV app’s national parks collection will include “Free Solo,” the “National Parks Exploration Series” from Smithsonian Channel Plus and other relevant TV shows and movies. Apple Music will introduce “Nature Awaits,” a brand new playlist inspired by the extraordinary beauty of the country's parks, and Apple Podcasts will feature a collection of shows focused on national parks, hosted by the rangers and hikers that love them most.

Apple Books will feature “Our National Parks,” a themed collection that will guide readers through notable national parks in the United States. The App Store will highlight a collection of some of the essential apps to help customers plan for and enjoy their next national park visit.

On August 25, Apple Watch users around the world can earn an Activity award and animated stickers for Messages inspired by Grand Canyon National Park’s 100th anniversary. To participate, just record a walk, run, hike or wheelchair workout of at least three miles — the distance of the park’s popular South Kaibab Trail to Cedar Ridge and back.²