Organizations and retailers are encouraging people to shop less and get out more on Black Friday

For more than a decade, Black Friday has been the busiest shopping day of the year, and this year will be no exception. There have been a few movements, like the annual Black Friday “Buy Nothing Day” from Adbusters and “Buy Nothing New Month,” a challenge sparked by Millennials for A Lifestyle Change. But studies show that American consumers don’t think they should consume less, but that they should consume smarter, and Black Friday is the best day to do that.

This Black Friday, November 27 is projected to be the busiest shopping day of the year, as usual, but some organizations and retailers are starting a new movement and encouraging people to put down the credit card, pick up their hiking boots and go outside. REI, a nationwide chain which sells outdoor gear started the movement with #optoutside, announcing that they would be closed on Black Friday, but their employees would still be paid for the day and encouraged to spend time outside in nature.

Inspired by the #optoutside movement and with the help of a generous $50,000 donation, San Francisco non-profit Save the Redwoods League is encouraging people to get outside by sponsoring free admission to the 49 State Parks with Redwoood trees throughout the state of California. Oregon, Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota have similar initiatives for Black Friday running concurrently.

You can download a free parking and admission day pass into the State Parks here, and find the closest free State Park to you with this interactive map. Some of the parks have already reached their free pass limit, so make sure you check to see if there is still space in a participating park. Happy hiking!