59! Fifty-nine is my magic number. It’s the number of United States National Parks in the United States and Territories. Fifty-nine is the number of national parks I am trying to visit before I turn 30. I developed this goal at 19. I was in Yellowstone National Park (for the second time). While waiting for Old Faithful to erupt, I started talking to a couple who had just finished all national parks. I had never thought about trying to visit all the national parks. This chance encounter has almost turned into an obsession. I want to collect them all. Truthfully I didn’t think I would actually accomplish this goal, yet here I am at 26. I have done 45 national parks. Only 15 more parks remain.
Mount Rainier National Park
This was my first national park. I visited here when I was about 9 months old and just starting to walk. I remember my father throwing a snowball at my mom and it hitting the camera directly on the lens.
More on my adventures in Mount Rainier
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Shenandoah National Park
Glacier National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park
Everglades National Park
Olympic National Park
North Cascades National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Biscayne National Park
Congaree National Park
Hot Springs National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Saguaro National Park
Petrified Forest National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Arches National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Zion National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Badlands National Park
Great Basin National Park
Yosemite National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Pinnacles National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Sequoia National Park
Acadia National Park
National Park of American Samoa
Virgin Islands National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Denali National Park and Preserve
Keni National Park
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve