The On Walkabout National Park Challenge
Everybody has things they want to do before they die and I am no different. One of the things I most want to do is take my family to visit every National Park in the United States. I think there is no better way to experience the natural beauty of the United States than to visit its various National Parks. 
Below I have created a table that ranks each of the 59 National Parks based on the date that it was formed. I have also included links to each parks official webpage and below it I have also included the date of when I visited the park and a link to a posting about my visit if available.
So Far I have completed:
19 of 59 National Parks
For those visiting this page I would love to hear how many National Parks have you visited? Also which one has been your favorite so far? Of the parks I have visited so far Yosemite has been my favorite despite the crowds, followed closely by the Grand Canyon. Please continue to periodically check this page and track my progress as I try to visit each US National Park.
| Rank | Park Name | State | Date Formed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yellowstone | Wyoming | March 1, 1872 | |
| 2 | Sequoia | California | Sept. 25, 1890 | |
| 3 | Yosemite (Visited Aug. 2008) | California | Oct. 1, 1890 | |
| 4 | Mt. Rainier (Visited Feb. 2006) | Washington | March 2, 1899 | |
| 5 | Crater Lake | Oregon | May 22, 1902 | |
| 6 | Wind Cave | South Dakota | Jan. 9, 1903 | |
| 7 | Mesa Verde (Visited May 2013) | Colorado | June 29, 1906 | |
| 8 | Glacier (Visited 1999) | Montana | May 11, 1910 | |
| 9 | Rocky Mountain (Visited June 2014) | Colorado | Jan. 26 1915 | |
| 10 | Haleakala (Visited January 2017) | Hawaii | Aug. 1, 1916 | |
| 11 | Hawaii Volcanoes (Visited January 2016) | Hawaii | Aug. 1, 1916 | |
| 12 | Lassen Volcanic | California | Aug. 9, 1916 | |
| 13 | Denali | Alaska | Feb. 26, 1917 | |
| 14 | Acadia | Maine | Feb. 26, 1919 | |
| 15 | Grand Canyon (Visited May 2013) | Arizona | Feb. 26 1919 | |
| 16 | Zion | Utah | Nov. 19, 1919 | |
| 17 | Hot Springs | Arkansas | March 1, 1921 | |
| 18 | Shenandoah | Virginia | May 22, 1926 | |
| 19 | Bryce Canyon | Utah | Feb. 25, 1928 | |
| 20 | Grand Teton | Wyoming | Feb. 26, 1929 | |
| 21 | Carlsbad Caverns (Visited Dec. 2009) | New Mexico | May 14, 1930 | |
| 22 | Isle Royale | Michigan | March 3, 1931 | |
| 23 | Everglades (Visited Dec. 1999) | Florida | May 30 1934 | |
| 24 | Great Smoky Mountains | Tennessee | June 15, 1934 | |
| 25 | Olympic (Visited Feb. 2006) | Washington | June 29, 1938 | |
| 26 | Kings Canyon | California | March 4, 1940 | |
| 27 | Mammoth Cave (Visited April 2018) | Kentucky | July 1, 1941 | |
| 28 | Big Bend | Texas | June 12, 1944 | |
| 29 | Virgin Islands | US Virgin Islands | Aug. 2, 1956 | |
| 30 | Petrified Forest (Visited May 2013) | Arizona | Dec. 9, 1962 | |
| 31 | Canyonlands | Utah | Sept. 12, 1964 | |
| 32 | Guadalupe Mountains (Visited Sept. 2009) | Texas | Oct. 15, 1966 | |
| 33 | North Cascades (Visited Dec. 2005) | Washington | Oct. 2, 1968 | |
| 34 | Redwood (Visited Aug. 2008) | California | Oct. 2, 1968 | |
| 35 | Voyageurs | Minnesota | Jan. 8, 1971 | |
| 36 | Arches (Visited Nov. 2014) | Utah | Nov. 12, 1971 | |
| 37 | Capitol Reef | Utah | Dec. 18, 1971 | |
| 38 | Badlands | South Dakota | Nov. 10, 1978 | |
| 39 | Theodore Roosevelt | North Dakota | Nov. 10 1978 | |
| 40 | Channel Islands | California | March 5, 1980 | |
| 41 | Biscayne | Florida | June 28, 1980 | |
| 42 | Gates of the Arctic | Alaska | Dec. 2, 1980 | |
| 43 | Glacier Bay | Alaska | Dec. 2, 1980 | |
| 44 | Katmai | Alaska | Dec. 2, 1980 | |
| 45 | Kenai Fjords | Alaska | Dec. 2, 1980 | |
| 46 | Kobuk Valley | Alaska | Dec. 2, 1980 | |
| 47 | Lake Clark | Alaska | Dec. 2, 1980 | |
| 48 | Wrangell-St. Elias | Alaska | Dec. 2, 1980 | |
| 49 | Great Basin | Nevada | Oct. 27, 1986 | |
| 50 | American Samoa | American Samoa | Oct. 31, 1988 | |
| 51 | Dry Tortugas | Florida | Oct. 26 1992 | |
| 52 | Saguaro | Arizona | Oct. 14, 1994 | |
| 53 | Death Valley | California | Oct. 31, 1994 | |
| 54 | Joshua Tree | California | Oct. 31, 1994 | |
| 55 | Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Visited Nov. 2014) | Colorado | Oct. 21, 1999 | |
| 56 | Cuyahoga Valley | Ohio | Oct. 11, 2000 | |
| 57 | Congaree | South Carolina | Nov. 10, 2003 | |
| 58 | Great Sand Dunes (Visited July, 2014) | Colorado | Sept. 13, 2004 | |
| 59 | Pinnacles | California | Jan. 10, 2013 |
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About The Author
Dobbs
I am a avid hiker with a love for travel and the outdoors. I currently call the Evergreen State of Washington my home.
Best of luck with your goal!
I’ve visited 31 off of your list and many of the other NPS managed areas that are not labeled as “National Park” but monument and recreation area and such.
My favorites far and away are Glacier and Dry Tortugas. I worked at the Grand Canyon on the North Rim in college and I have to recommend that you see that side of the Canyon if you didn’t on your first trip. Its an entirely different experience.
@Mellocity, you are well on your way to visiting all the National Parks! I am finding that visiting the National Parks is a great way to see the country and I look forward to seeing more of the parks. Yosemite and Grand Canyon were the two most spectacular parks I have been to. The crowds though were brutal at times, especially at Yosemite when I visited. Another one of my favorites so far has been Guadalupe National Park due to the fact that there was a time I visited and I was literally the only person in the park besides… Read more »