As we start 2020, it’s time for a status update on my National Park Travel Goal. With a visit to two parks in December 2019, I was excited to break the halfway mark on the goal of visiting all the U.S. National Parks.
Ironically, on the same day I got to my 31st park, the goalpost moved a little farther with the addition of a new park — White Sands National Park (formerly National Monument) in New Mexico. From photos I’ve seen online, it looks to be deserving of the status, and it means one more park is added to the goal list for a total of 62 parks!
There have been three new parks designated in just the last two years: Gateway Arch in 2018, then Indiana Dunes and White Sands in 2019. Before that, the most recent was Pinnacles in 2013, and before that was Great Sand Dunes in 2004. At whatever rate new parks may be added, my goal for 2020 will be to pick up the pace and reach more than two parks!
If my current plans work out, I’ll add Hot Springs and Saguaro to this list in January and March respectively. I hope to add at least one more in the summer months, preferably one of the parks that is accessible only during the summer. I’ve been doing some research on Isle Royale — one of the least-visited and most difficult parks to reach in the “lower 48” states. I’m not sure yet if that trip will come together for this summer, but I’d love to get it worked out. The logistics of visiting the island park are somewhat complicated, so if anyone reads this who has already been there, please feel free to comment and share any helpful tips or advice!
I’d also like to visit Gateway Arch and Indiana Dunes this year since both are within driving distance from Kentucky over a weekend!
Below is a collage of park signs from some of my 2018 and 2019 visits, and below that is my current, updated list of parks visited by year!
2019: Pinnacles (30), Joshua Tree (31)
2018: Dry Tortugas (26), Great Sand Dunes (27), Black Canyon of the Gunnison (28), Rocky Mountain (29)
2017: Olympic (24), Mount Rainier (25)
2016: Acadia (22), Death Valley (23)
2014: Cuyahoga Valley (16), Zion (17), Bryce Canyon (18), Capitol Reef (19), Arches (20), Mesa Verde (21)
2008: Badlands (11), Theodore Roosevelt (12), Glacier (13), Grand Tetons (14), Yellowstone (15)
2006: Yosemite (8), Sequoia (9), Kings Canyon (10)
2002: Hawaii Volcanoes (7)
1999: Denali (6)
1994: Shenandoah (5)
1991: Mammoth Cave (4)
1990: Grand Canyon (2), Petrified Forest (3)
1985-ish: Great Smoky Mountains (1)
*Post edited 4/18/20 to add links to later posts about specific parks.