My childhood recollection is full of nature wonderment. In the early 80s, any time my parents found free time and could save enough money, they would load up the VW Bus with basic camping supplies and off we would go with a paper map guiding us along the way.
Even as I grew into my angstsy teen years, under the scowl of superficial disdain I remember mentally cataloging, as one of my all-time favorite memories, the early morning hike through a fog-draped dreamscape amongst the giant redwood trees. It was there, where I felt the grandeur of Mother Nature and the miscalculation of my importance.
Nature. The omnipresent source of inspiration. I spent the past decade going overseas far and wide to find and experience things that would ignite my soul. One day, I was trying to recall my most memorable memories and I vaguely remembered looking up at this giant Sequoia tree thinking, in my limited toddler, vocabulary…”wow”, (which was most likely induced by seeing the photograph but I still hold this memory fondly in the forefront of my mem library.)
So, I decided that I would try to see as many natural wonders right here in my very own backyard using my America the Beautiful Pass commencing the National Park Challenge!
Diving into the National Park Service world I found that there are over 400 places comprising of 20 types of designations. What started as a challenge to see the initial 63 (as of March 2024) sites designed as national parks made me realized I will have to expand this into a lifelong checklist. That being said I feel like the best approach is to just go out there and start exploring!
National Park Service Challenge Checklist (Current visited list)
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Point Reyes National Seashore
- Pinnacles National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Big Bend National Park
- Guadalupe National Park
- Carlsbad National Park
- White Sands New Mexico
- Cabrillo National Monument
- Zion National Park
- Cedar Breaks National Monument
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Arches National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- Mount Rainier National Park
- Crater Lake National Park
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Colorado National Monument
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Smokey Mountains National Park
FOLLOW IZZIEBLEU 