Topline:
As many government offices and services close for the Veterans Day holiday, national parks will stay open — and will be open for visitors free of charge.
What's closed: Banks, United States Postal Service mail service, and many government offices will be closed for the federal holiday. LAUSD and many other school districts in Southern California will also be closed. Street sweeping in Los Angeles will also not take place.
What's staying open: Metro and Metrolink will run on their regular Monday schedule rather than a holiday schedule, and L.A. Sanitation will still conduct trash pickups.
Free national parks: If you want to take advantage of the lighter traffic to get out of town (LAUSD has the day off, after all), Veterans Day is one of six days yearly when the National Park Service waives entry fees for visitors.
What you save: It's enough for a couple entrees, at least. If you're driving in, it normally costs $30 to enter Joshua Tree and Death Valley, while Sequoia and Yosemite cost $35.
The backstory: Fall is a great time to visit desert parks while the weather is temperate. For instance, now's a great time to check Death Valley off of your bucket list: Highs in the low 80s and sunny skies are predicted in the park Monday.