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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melocity
8 years ago

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.

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