How many have you visited?

I was inspired by a fellow blogger who posted how many of the 60 National Parks parks she has visited.  I was curious to know how many I had visited.  I am an avid fan of the parks, and if you’ve been reading me for any length of time, you already know this.  And as time goes on, I’m sure I’ll continue to tout their excellence.

20140302 151625 1

For only $80 a year, you get a pass that lets you see THE coolest places in the US.  My uncle (a retired teacher) told me that every year he asked his class this question: “Did you know you own the best land in the United States?”  The fact is, the National Parks are preserved for the people.  They’re ours.  All of us can say we “own” a waterfront property, a desert oasis, and a mountain escape.  It’s my top reason for loving the United States.  It represents a desire to not just let a few rich people get the choice land with a “keep out” sign to the rest of us peasants.  The National Park System is one of our nation’s greatest treasures.

The U.S. National Park System (NPS) encompasses 20 different kinds of classified lands.  This adds up to well over 400 places.  There are national parks, national seashores/lake shores, national forests, national monuments, etc.  I’ve visited an assortment of these, but today, I’m talking specifically about the national parks.  If we’re talking about all these within the system, it’s too many for me to figure out!  I’ve been to places like Point Reyes and North Manitou Island.  They are part of the system, but not designed as a park.  So keep in mind that your park pass includes access to over 400 places!  But for simplicity’s sake, I’m limiting this list to parks.

So, how many parks have I visited?  I’ve visited 12 of the 60.  That’s 20% of the parks available to me.  This actually excites me.  I have so many more to explore!  Here is my National Park “been there” inventory as of March 2018:

Arches

20160630 191334 HDR

Canyonlands

20160701 194611 HDR

Channel Islands

DSCF2721

Everglades

20150202 124625

Grand Canyon

20140302 160750

Great Smoky Mountains

6241769280 IMG 3940

Joshua Tree

IMG 5691

Mammoth Cave

IMAG0316

Mesa Verde

20160702 044201

Pinnacles

IMG 5080

Yosemite

7516790816 IMG 5622

Zion

20140301 132758

How many have you visited?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *