List the national parks you've visited!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Inspired by chowder’s thread here.

As some of you know, I used to do scientific work for the US National Park Service, and it changed my life. I had an amazing time doing that job, and even though I was a fan of the NPS beforehand, the sheer scope of it was not apparent to me until I was leading researchers miles into a cavern system to do bat surveys, or going out on multi-day expeditions to catalogue certain endangered species or measuring rare habitat types.

I’m admittedly biased toward the US NPS, but by all means, tell me what other countries’ parks you’ve been to as well, and let me know what was particularly special about them.

A note: national parks, national monuments, national preserves, national military parks (as well as national battlefields), and national heritage areas are all referred to internally as simply “parks.” They are all under the purview of the NPS, so for our purposes, they all count.

I’ll list mine later, since I’m expected in a meeting shortly.

2

Oh, lord, I’ll have to find a list - I’ve been to quite a few, I know.

Found one not just of the “parks” - this is “areas”.

3

Thanks! Yeah, man, I was missing some designations, huh? Let’s just be all-inclusive and say that all of them count.

4

Whoops, forgot to post mine!

Also, I think the National Park Service is a largely underappreciated branch of the government that does a damned fine job.

Acadia National Park
Badlands National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Denali National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Petrified Forest National Park
Sequoia National Park
Yosemite National Park
Fort McHenry National Monument
Fort Sumter National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument
Statue of Liberty National Monument / Ellis Island
Boston National Historical Park
Colonial National Historical Park (Jamestown, specifically)
Independence National Historical Park (Independence Hall, specifically)
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Andersonville National Historic Site
Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site
Ford’s Theater National Historic Site
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site
Ninety Six National Historic Site
Cowpens National Battlefield
Arlington House
Johnstown Flood National Memorial
USS Arizona Memorial
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Blue Ridge Parkway
National Mall and everything on it

I was surprised to go through that list and see exactly how many things are memorials and such that I didn’t realize were federal, and I’m sure I’ve seen plenty of stuff that didn’t register at the time as the Whosits and Whatsits National Memorial. It’s interesting.

5

Grand Canyon, Arizona
Redwood, California
Haleakala, Maui
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina
Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
United States Virgin Islands, St. John
Bryce Canyon, Utah

6

If we include areas…

Lincoln Memorial, Wash DC
Jefferson Memorial, Wash DC
Washington Memorial, Wash DC
Vietnam Memorial, Wash DC
WWII Memorial, Wash DC
USS Arizona Memorial, Oahu
Gauley River National Rec Area, WV
Golden Gate National Rec Area, California
Alcatraz, California
Presidio, California
New River Gorge National River, WV
Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
Appalachian Trail, NC
Arlington National Cemetery, Wash DC

7

Gee, its easier when you can just copy someone else’s list:
Badlands National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Petrified Forest National Park
Sequoia National Park
Yosemite National Park
Boston National Historical Park
Colonial National Historical Park (Jamestown, specifically)
Independence National Historical Park (Independence Hall, specifically)
Ford’s Theater National Historic Site
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Blue Ridge Parkway
National Mall and everything on it
Redwood, California
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
United States Virgin Islands, St. John
Canyonlands
Arches
Arlington National Cemetery, Wash DC
Mt. Rushmore
Jewel Cave, SD
Grand Tetons,
Glacier National Park (before it became a joint US-Canada park)
Valley Forge
Gettysburg
Alamo
Kings Canyon
Appalachian Trail (most of PA)
Shenandoah
Delaware Water Gap, National Historic Corridor, …
NJ Pinelands
Abe Lincoln Birthplace, Ky
Rocky Mountain,
Dinosaur
Mesa Verde
Black Canyon
Great Sand Dunes (CO)
Florissant
Mt. Ranier

I hope that’s all.

8

These are the **American **ones:
Redwood NP
Fort Point NHS
Death Valley NP
Cabrillo NM
Joshua Tree NP
Mojave NPreserve
Glacier NP
Grand Canyon NP
Saguaro NP
Montezuma Castle NM
Rocky Mountain NP
Volcano NP

Canadian (I know you didn’t ask for these. I hope it’s okay I’ve added them.):
Point Pelee NP
Banff NP
Yoho NP
Glacier NP
Jasper NP
Kootenay NP
Waterton NP

9

These are the UK ones I have visited:-

Broads
Dartmoor
Lake District
New Forest
Peak District
Snowdonia.

10

Hmm, this may take a little while.

First, in my Passport books:



Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve	New Orleans, LA
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial			St. Louis, MO
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site			St. Louis, MO
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail			St. Louis, MO
Mammoth Cave National Park				Mammoth Cave, KY
Vicksburg National Military Park			Vicksburg, MS
Castle Clinton National Monument			NY, NY
Statue of Liberty National Monument			NY, NJ
Dayton Aviation Heritage Natl Hist Park: Cycle Shop	Dayton, OH
Effigy Mounds National Monument				Harpers Ferry, IA
Rocky Mountain National Park				Estes Park, CO
Dinosaur National Monument				Jensen, UT
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument			Hagerman, ID
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument		Florissant, CO
Minidoka National Historic Site				Jerome County, ID
Craters of the Moon Natl Mon & Preserve			ID
Oregon National Historic Trail				ID, WY
Yellowstone National Park				WY
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument		Crow Agency, MT
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit		Medora, ND
Wind Cave National Park					Hot Springs, SD
Badlands National Park					Interior, SD
Minuteman Missile NHS					Wall, SD
Haleakala National Park, both sections			Maui, HI
Independence National Historical Park			Philadelphia, PA
Gettysburg National Military Park			Gettysburg, PH
California National Historic Trail			WY, UT
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway		WY
Natchez Trace Parkway					MS
Blue Ridge Parkway					VA
Grand Teton National Park				WY
Santa Monica Mountains NRA				Santa Monica, CA
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail		CA
Sequoia National Park					Visalia, CA
Fossil Butte National Monument				Kemmerer, WY

Well, that is all the stamps in my passports. But I have been to a few other places, will have to check by memory now.



Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area		WY, UT
Everglades National Park			FL
Shenandoah National Park			VA
Boston National Historical Park			Boston, MA
Mount Rushmore National Memorial		Keystone, SD
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial	Arlington, VA
United States Marine Corps War Memorial		Arlington, VA
Lincoln Memorial				Washington, DC
Thomas Jefferson Memorial			Washington, DC
Washington Monument				Washington, DC
Vietnam Veterans Memorial			Washington, DC
Arlington National Cemetery			Arlington, VA
Appalachian National Scenic Trail		VA

I really like our National Park system. Wish I had some skill sets for getting hired there. The Parkways and Trails I have spent some time on, either driving or hiking. I have driven through some other NRAs, but only included the 2 I spent any time in looking around. And I guess Flaming Gorge does not count, since it is actually part of the Forest Service.

I need to get back to DC sometime. Haven’t seen the Korean or WW II memorials yet. But there are a lot of other places I want to get to also. I have a lot of room in my National Park Passport yet. :smiley:

We are doing other countries too? Not too many yet. None at all in Dominican Republic, Italy, and India.

Canada, several Provincial Parks, but for national:
Georgian Bay Islands National Park Ontario

Australia, confusing set up, a lot of stuff is called National parks, but ran by the states and/or territories:
Uluru-Kata Tjuta
West Macdonnell
Watarrka National Park
Port Arthur
Richmond Gaol

UK:
Peak District

11

I’ve been to 329 of the 391* NPS units. I’m trying to visit them all and expect to have visited all of them in the Lower 48 by the end of 2012, and all of them by the end of 2017.

*As of this week there are three new ones! Thus 394.

12

I was going to get my NPS Passport out to list mine, guessing I have well over a hundred- but I won’t even be close to atarxy22. Hope you enjoyed all of them. Sometimes I think I go to the various sites just to get the cancellation stamp in my Passport.

13

atarxy22, is that part of a job, or you have a lot of time on your hands and are somewhat obsessive? :wink: I do not expect to ever got to the parks in the Guam or American Samoa. I doubt
5 time champ, I do my best to get the stamps from all of the ranger stations at the various parks I visit. 4 from Rocky Mountain National Park for instance. But I also do my best to see what is there. I have always found interesting things at all of the parks so far.

Although the Minuteman Missile NHS really needs some work.

14

I’ve never done the passport thing - that would be fun, I imagine. I’ve never been disappointed by a full blown Park, I’ll say. (Some of the memorials and such are just, you know, a statue.)

15

I lost my first NPS passport, a record of 15 years of visiting the Parks. I think it got left in a rental car. :frowning:

Ah, but I have another one that’s very well used. And I lust after the recent passport-on-steroids version, the “Explorer Edition”. :smiley:

As I mentioned in the other thread, Ken Burns’ documentary, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” will be broadcast this fall. He’s showing sneak previews at various spots around the country.

I have to agree with Ken; the parks ARE one of our best ideas. I can’t count how many magical moments I’ve had, going back more than 40 years. My vacation destination this year is North Cascades, and I’m really looking forward to it.

16

Using ZSophia’s nice list:

Acadia National Park
Badlands National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Petrified Forest National Park
Sequoia National Park
Yosemite National Park
Fort Sumter National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument
Statue of Liberty National Monument / Ellis Island
Colonial National Historical Park (Jamestown, specifically)
Independence National Historical Park (Independence Hall, specifically)
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Blue Ridge Parkway
National Mall and everything on it

My parents were avid Parks goers, and our well-worn 70’s station wagon with pop-up camper in tow, packed with six kids was all about the camp out. It was rare we’d stay in a motel. No wonder. I did love taking my one-of-six surplus army mummy bag on out to the edge of wherever and sleeping under the stars in all of those places.

I don’t know what is a National Park in Mexico, but, when my parents were doing research there, we pretty much went to every ruin site back in the 70’s. As I recall, they were in the process of getting it together with tourism. It was still fairly wild, though, and I loved that; it really made an impression on my young self to be able to do without all the folderall of regular society. I think that was my bellwether moment in how to be able to get by. Sometimes now, I just want to take a hammock and head off into yond.

17

Of the National Parks in the list:

Acadia National Park Maine
Arches National Park Utah
Badlands National Par South Dakota
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Colorado
Bryce Canyon National Park Utah
Canyonlands National Park Utah
Capitol Reef National Park Utah
Crater Lake National Park Oregon
Everglades National Park Florida
Glacier National Park (part of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park) Montana/Alberta
Grand Canyon National Park Arizona
Grand Teton National Park Wyoming
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Colorado
Mesa Verde National Park Colorado
Mount Rainier National Park Washington
North Cascades National Park Washington
Olympic National Park Washington
Redwood National and State Parks California
Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado
Sequoia National Park California
Shenandoah National Park Virginia
Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota
Voyageurs National Park Minnesota
Yellowstone National Park Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
Yosemite National Park California
Zion National Park Utah

18

The passports are a lot of fun. As long as you don’t just turn them into “Run in, stamp the book, next park!” Some people do that, which kind of misses the point.

blondebear, that sucks losing your old passport book. The Explorer Edition is really nice. Lots of room in the cover to carry maps, annual pass, old passport books, etc. and the ability to add in pages will really come in handy.

19

Working from Zsofia’s list here’s some of the places I’ve been:

-Arches
-badlands
-Bryce Canyon
-Everglades
-Glacier
-Grand Canyon
-Grand Teton
-Great Basin
-Rocky Mountain
-Yellowstone
-Zion

-Fort McHenry
-Craters of the Moon
-Devils Tower
-Jewel Cave
-Little Bighorn
-Jackson Hole

-Big Cypress

-C&O Canal
-Manassass Battlefield
-Gettysburg Battlefield
-Guilford Courthouse Battlefield
-Fords Theatre
-Fort Desoto, Tampa Bay

-Just about ever memorial and museum in Washington DC, since I grew up there

-Assateague Island national seashore
-Cape Hatteras national seashore
-Pictured Rocks national Lakeshore

-Blue Ridge Parkway
-GW Parkway
-Appalachian Trail
-Catoctin Mountain park

-Arlington Cemetary
-Kennedy Center (Had my HS graduation there)

That’s all I can remember for now

20

I guess I should have added Jasper in British Columbia. We drove as a family from eastern PA to Jasper when I was maybe 9 years old. I can’t imagine what that was like for my dad, who did all the driving.