I want to see every US National Park before I turn 30.
A few years ago, I took a two month road trip around the western/southwestern US, with the goal to see as many National Parks as I could. I was inbetween jobs and it seemed like a good way to spend the time.
I already enjoyed hiking, but had never given much thought to the National Parks. On that trip I passed through parks that almost everyone knows about (Death Valley, Rocky Mountain, Arches…) and also lesser-known ones (Lassen Volcanic, Kings Canyon, Guadalupe Mountains). During that trip I got to witness the vast variety between the parks and the regions within my own country.
Seeing all the Parks is not a guaranteed way to see all the best sights in the U.S. But it is a guaranteed way to experience many of the subcultures in the country and walk through the countless ecosystems. Just considering nature, you have the forests of 20ft+ tall cacti in Arizona, the cartoonish rock formations in Utah, the hottest place on earth in California, and the monstrous volcanoes of Oregon and Washington.
When it comes to culture, you have the massive Cuban/Carribean population in Miami, the fishing culture of Maine, the even mix of skiers and mountain climbers in Colorado… The United States contains multitudes and visiting the parks is a great way to see them.
There’s no reason to see them all before 30. I just appreciate a challenging deadline.
This website is not meant to be a guide to every park - there are many websites/blogs that already do that and I don’t have much to add to their content. This website is a place for my writings and photography, and those usually focus on the parks.