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.

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

Canyonlands

Channel Islands

Everglades

Grand Canyon

Great Smoky Mountains

Joshua Tree

Mammoth Cave

Mesa Verde

Pinnacles

Yosemite

Zion

How many have you visited?