National Park Week

[roadmaven]

April 17-25, 2010 is National Park Week. To celebrate, the National Park Service is waiving entry fees into all 392 national parks across the U.S. More details here: http://www.nps.gov/npweek/

[DennyG]

For persons of a certain age, National Park entry fees can be made nonexistent for all weeks. When I visited Carlsbad in December, I purchased my lifetime pass for a mere $10. A remarkable bargain that you youngsters can only dream about.

[beckyrepp]

Thanks for posting about this topic Pa.t and Denny

 

In honor of National Park week, we posted a poll. We would be interested in learning how many National Parks you have visited. We also encourage you to share which parks you enjoyed most and why. We included a trivia question about the National Parks, too, just for a little fun.

 

We look forward to hearing from you!

[mga707]

Thanks for posting about this topic Pa.t and Denny

 

In honor of National Park week, we posted a poll. We would be interested in learning how many National Parks you have visited. We also encourage you to share which parks you enjoyed most and why. We included a trivia question about the National Parks, too, just for a little fun.

 

We look forward to hearing from you!

 

Just for clarification: Do you mean only areas designated as National Parks (I believe there are 58 so designated, although I could be off a couple), or do any and all NPS-administered sites qualify? According to my NPS map and guide, as of 2006 there are 388 such sites in the US and possessions. Included are National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Historical Parks, etc.

In addition, there are a growing number of Federally-designated National Monuments that are not administered by the NPS, but by other agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service. The vast (and amazingly scenic) Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is one such area.

I am an NPS 'completist' and one of my lifetime goals (now that I have visited all 50 states) is to visit every NPS site. I highlight them in yellow on the abovementioned map as I 'check them off'. I'm probably approaching the halfway mark to bagging all 388!

Edited April 18, 2010 by mga707

[mga707]

For persons of a certain age, National Park entry fees can be made nonexistent for all weeks. When I visited Carlsbad in December, I purchased my lifetime pass for a mere $10. A remarkable bargain that you youngsters can only dream about.

 

Believe me, I know about the incredible deal that is the lifetime pass. One of the few good things about turning 62! I've got a few more years (10, actually) to go, and in the unlikely event that this bargain is still around in a decade, you bet I'm snagging it the day I turn 62. Luckily for me there's an NPS site (Saguaro NP) just 'up the road' from my house, so I don't have far to go to get it. Just ten more years...

[DennyG]

Wow, I thought this would be easy. Just find that 392 item list and tick off those I've visited. On the government site, I found a list of "more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees" (which I believe contains 147) and the "Find a Park" list (which I think has 478 entries and there's a "List of National Parks of the United States" at Wikipedia with 58 parks identified. When I found the "List of areas in the United States National Park System" at Wikipedia with an introduction that talks of "392 units of the National Park System" I figured I'd hit gold but I'm seeing 393 entries in the list. But it's pretty darned close and maybe I just can't count so I'm going with it and reporting that I've visited about 62 out of 392 -- or 393 -- "units" and 10 of 58 parks.

[mga707]

List of National Parks of the United States[/url]" at Wikipedia with 58 parks identified. When I found the "List of areas in the United States National Park System" at Wikipedia with an introduction that talks of "392 units of the National Park System"

 

Wow. Sometimes the ol' memory still works! My remembered figure of 58 designated parks was right! I guess four more areas have been added to the total NPS site list since my '06 map was printed, but none are designated as parks. I know that Congaree in South Carolina is still the newest of the 58.

As far as visiting even all 58 of the actual parks, the National Park of American Samoa (LONG way away!) and Kobuk Valley and Gates of the Arctic (along with a couple of others) in Alaska are going to be tough to get to--no road access at all!

[beckyrepp]

Just for clarification: Do you mean only areas designated as National Parks (I believe there are 58 so designated, although I could be off a couple), or do any and all NPS-administered sites qualify? According to my NPS map and guide, as of 2006 there are 388 such sites in the US and possessions. Included are National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Historical Parks, etc.

In addition, there are a growing number of Federally-designated National Monuments that are not administered by the NPS, but by other agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service. The vast (and amazingly scenic) Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is one such area.

I am an NPS 'completist' and one of my lifetime goals (now that I have visited all 50 states) is to visit every NPS site. I highlight them in yellow on the abovementioned map as I 'check them off'. I'm probably approaching the halfway mark to bagging all 388!

 

 

I was trying to simplify and use those only designated as 'National Parks." The next question should be how many NPS administered sites have you visited (the all inclusive definition with National Monuments, National Historic Sites, etc.).

 

Its going to take me a little while to figure out how many I've visited myself... 1, 2, 3, 4..... (I'll let you know when I've finished counting).

 

We're looking forward to seeing everyone's answers!

[mga707]

I was trying to simplify and use those only designated as 'National Parks." The next question should be how many NPS administered sites have you visited (the all inclusive definition with National Monuments, National Historic Sites, etc.).

 

Its going to take me a little while to figure out how many I've visited myself... 1, 2, 3, 4..... (I'll let you know when I've finished counting).

 

We're looking forward to seeing everyone's answers!

 

Thanks for the reply!

Of the 58 designated National Parks, I have so far visited 36, with three more in Alaska scheduled for this June.

I think I've been to all of the well-known, "signature" parks, with the surprising exception of Shenandoah. Don't know how I've missed that one, as I've been all around it!