One Man’s Quest to Visit as Many National Parks as Humanly Possible

Each park is focused on an event, place, person, natural wonder, or era, in their totality, they represent what the United States is and what being American means. The more NPS sites I visit, whether they fill me with pride, sadness, or regret, the more American I feel.

Travel enthusiasts are an interesting and often eccentric group of people. We share a passion for adventure and relish a good story. For many, the art of traveling begins with a single destination but later transforms into an unexpected personal journey of much bigger proportions.

I have met travelers like my old college friend, who have set out on a quest to visit all 50 states. Others strive to cross local lighthouses, covered bridges, and baseball stadiums off their travel bucket lists.

And there is one Pennsylvania man whose obsession with national parks runs coast to coast. Meet my brother-in-law, David.

David’s national park quest began roughly 13 years ago. To date, he has visited almost half of the National Park System units (214 to be exact). Wherever David travels, he visits parks and sites. He has worked them into day trips, guys' weekends, and even his honeymoon. David’s sidekick is typically his wife, Rosemary, but he has also convinced friends and family members (myself included) to join him on his adventures. Here are some highlights:

Steamtown National Historic Site - Scranton, Pennsylvania

September 2, 2012, was the day that it all began. This particular Labor Day weekend, David visited Steamtown National Historic Site, a railway museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania. While wandering through the exhibits, he noticed that the attraction was staffed by dedicated park rangers who offered up intriguing expert information about the site. After learning that there were hundreds of other national park sites to explore and more rangers to talk to, he was hooked.

My family’s National Park journey began at Steamtown (and yes, we have the stamps to commemorate it). Located in Northeastern Pennsylvania at the site of the former Scranton yards, this interactive railway museum focuses on the area’s contributions to the nation’s transportation industry and features restored trains, a working roundhouse, and a technology museum. You can even take a ride on one of the steam locomotives. Steamtown does not have an entrance fee.

David discovered something else on that epic day: National Park stamps. For those not familiar with cancellation stamps, these are rubber ink stamps that mark the name of each park and the date of a particular visit. Avid NPS visitors obtain stamps at each site they explore, and typically store them in official National Park Passport books. When David started his national park quest at Steamtown, he proudly displayed his stamps in a pocket-sized National Park Passport book. However, as his hobby soon turned into an obsessive “stampede,” he quickly filled up the North Atlantic section. With many more parks to explore, he realized that he was “going to need a bigger boat,” and graduated to “the big one,” a large, weatherproof zipper binder which later became the source of a great deal chaos when it accidentally got left behind at a bar in New Orleans (perhaps a story for another time).

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site - Jackson County, South Dakota

David's adventures have also taught him that memorable experiences are often found in unexpected places. When most people think of national parks, the big ones like Yosemite and the Grand Canyon come to mind. However, there are only 63 designated national parks (a park declared by Congress), but hundreds of National Park Service-managed units, which include battlefields, historic buildings, seashores, and monuments. The present count is 433, but this number fluctuates as new sites are added. David's visit to one of these lesser-known units proved to be one of his most unusual encounters.

Not many people I know choose to vacation in rural South Dakota, but my brother-in-law planned an entire trip around visits to National Parks in this location. To this day, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site marks one of his most unusual travel destinations.

Minuteman Missile is made up of three different sites within a 15-mile radius. Admission to the site is free, but there is a charge to take the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility tour (which must be reserved at least 24 hours in advance). Consider visiting nearby Badlands National Park while in the area.

Visiting here awarded him a chance to obtain an up-close account of our nation's Cold War involvement. At the site's newly remodeled Visitor Center, he learned about the history of the missile site, and later had a rare opportunity to take a trip 31 feet underground to tour the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility.

Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Parks - New Mexico

Whenever David travels, he tries to squeeze in as many regional parks as possible. To date, he has obtained cancellation stamps from all the sites in New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland. He also has plans to complete the 15 New Mexico sites. His previous trip to the southern part of the state included two of his favorites: Carlsbad Caverns in Eddy County and White Sands National Park near Alamogordo.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in the Chihuahuan Desert and features over 115 breathtaking caves. There is a $15 entrance fee for adults, and reservations are recommended. White Sands National Park is the largest gypsum dune field in the world! The park is open daily, with hours of operation varying seasonally. An entrance pass is required.

At Carlsbad Caverns, David and Rosemary spent a day exploring magnificent caves filled with stunning stalactites. At White Sands, they rented sleds and rode them down stunning natural crystal dunes. If their travels took on a typical vacation path, they probably would have never experienced these amazing adventures.

After visiting over 200 sites, you would think that David has seen it all, but he has more adventures in the works. His upcoming travels include trips to the Boston Harbor Islands and the Adams National Historic Park in Quincy, Massachusetts. And his all-time bucket list park? Yellowstone, "the national park that started it all."

Is visiting every national park David's ultimate goal? Not necessarily. “It would be great to get to all of them, but it’s not realistic.” Several sites are located in remote areas, and others are only open at specific times of the year. 

So he visits as many as he can and always has "an unintentional great time.” During each adventure, David meets interesting people, immerses himself in local culture, and learns a ton about the history of our nation. "While each park is focused on an event, place, person, natural wonder, or era, in their totality, they represent what the United States is and what being American means. The more NPS sites I visit, whether they fill me with pride, sadness, or regret, the more American I feel."

How many national parks have you visited? If you strive to set off on a NPS quest of your own, consider purchasing the America the Beautiful National Park Pass, which covers entrance fees at many sites. Find out more information at the National Park Service website and National Park Service Facebook page.