# List the national parks you've visited! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 31, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493 "2009-03-31T20:39:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/1 "2009-03-31T20:39:16Z")
Inspired by **chowder** ’s thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=511384). 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. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/2 "2009-03-31T20:44:48Z")
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”.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_areas_in_the_United_States_National_Park_System) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/3 "2009-03-31T20:47:21Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > 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”.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_areas_in_the_United_States_National_Park_System) Thanks! Yeah, man, I was missing some designations, huh? Let’s just be all-inclusive and say that all of them count. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/4 "2009-03-31T21:01:54Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/5 "2009-03-31T21:09:35Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/6 "2009-03-31T21:17:37Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/7 "2009-03-31T22:07:47Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![spoike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@spoike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spoike)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/8 "2009-03-31T22:25:55Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/9 "2009-03-31T22:31:17Z")
These are the UK ones I have visited:- Broads Dartmoor Lake District New Forest Peak District Snowdonia. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/10 "2009-04-01T00:16:22Z")
Hmm, this may take a little while. First, in my Passport books: ```auto 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. ```auto 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. 😃 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 ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/11 "2009-04-01T00:28:14Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/12 "2009-04-01T00:50:49Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/13 "2009-04-01T01:55:19Z")
**atarxy22** , is that part of a job, or you have a lot of time on your hands and are somewhat obsessive? 😉 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. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/14 "2009-04-01T02:43:32Z")
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.) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/15 "2009-04-01T02:51:06Z")
I lost my first NPS passport, a record of 15 years of visiting the Parks. I think it got left in a rental car. ☹ Ah, but I have another one that’s very well used. And I lust after the recent passport-on-steroids version, the “Explorer Edition”. 😃 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. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/16 "2009-04-01T04:40:11Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/17 "2009-04-01T04:55:40Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/18 "2009-04-01T05:46:01Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > 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.) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/19 "2009-04-01T12:47:27Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493/20 "2009-04-01T14:08:39Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-national-parks-youve-visited/491493.md?page=2)