National Parks

Sunset in Arches National Park, near Moab in UtahI think it’s fair to say that I’m a bit of a fan of the national parks of the United States and Canada. 

I visited my first national park - Great Smoky Mountains - in April 2006 and, since then, I have made it my mission to visit as many of them as possible.  Initially I had wanted to visit all of the national parks in the United States but I afraid that I got a little carried away and now want to visit all of those in Canda too. Quite a list!

As you’ll see from the following list I have been lucky enough to have seen quite a few so far but I still have a long way to go before I’ve seen them all. What happens when I have seen them all? I guess then I’ll have to extend my list to include those in Australia, New Zealand, Africa and elsewhere around the world!

If I was asked which was my favourite I would probably struggle to answer as each park is just so different and has so much to offer; something demonstrated so well by the two that I would probably pick if pressed: Death Valley and Dry Tortugas.

United States

  Park name States(s) Date visited
  Acadia National Park Maine
R | P Arches National Park Utah 2006
  Badlands National Park South Dakota
  Big Bend National Park Texas
R | P Biscayne National Park Florida 2007
  Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Colorado
R | P Bryce Canyon National Park Utah 2008
R | P Canyonlands National Park Utah 2006
R | P Capitol Reef National Park Utah 2008
  Carlsbad Caverns National Park New Mexico
  Channel Islands National Park California
  Congaree National Park South Carolina
R | P Crater Lake National Park Oregon 2008
  Cuyahoga Valley National Park Ohio
R | P Death Valley National Park California, Nevada 2006
R | P Denali National Park and Preserve Alaska 2008
R | P Dry Tortugas National Park Florida 2007, 2009
R | P Everglades National Park Florida 2007, 2009
  Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve Alaska
R | P Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Alaska 2008
R | P Glacier National Park Montana 2008
R | P Grand Canyon National Park Arizona 2006
R | P Grand Teton National Park Wyoming 2008
R | P Great Basin National Park Nevada 2008
  Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Colorado
R | P Great Smoky Mountains National Park North Carolina, Tennessee 2006, 2007
  Guadalupe Mountains National Park Texas
R | P Haleakala National Park Hawaii 2008
R | P Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hawaii 2008
R | P Hot Springs National Park Arkansas 2007
  Isle Royale National Park Michigan
  Joshua Tree National Park California
  Katmai National Park and Preserve Alaska
R | P Kenai Fjords National Park Alaska 2008
R | P Kings Canyon National Park California 2008
  Kobuk Valley National Park Alaska
  Lake Clark National Park and Preserve Alaska
R | P Lassen Volcanic National Park California 2008
R | P Mammoth Cave National Park Kentucky 2007
  Mesa Verde National Park Colorado
R | P Mount Rainier National Park Washington 2008
  National Park of American Samoa American Samoa
R | P North Cascades National Park Washington 2008
R | P Olympic National Park Washington 2008
  Petrified Forest National Park Arizona
R | P Redwood National and State Parks California 2008
  Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado
  Saguaro National Park Arizona
R | P Sequoia National Park California 2008
  Shenandoah National Park Virginia
  Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota
  Virgin Islands National Park U.S. Virgin Islands
  Voyageurs National Park Minnesota
  Wind Cave National Park South Dakota
R | P Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve Alaska 2008
R | P Yellowstone National Park Idaho, Montana, Wyoming 2008
R | P Yosemite National Park California 2006
R | P Zion National Park Utah 2006

Canada

  Park name States(s) Date visited
R | P Glacier British Columbia 2008
R | P Kootenay British Columbia 2008, 2009
R | P Mount Revelstoke British Columbia 2008
R | P Yoho British Columbia 2008
R | P Banff Alberta 2008, 2009
  Elk Island Alberta
R | P Jasper Alberta 2008
R | P Waterton Lakes Alberta/Montana, United States of America 2008
  Wood Buffalo Alberta/Northwest Territories
  Grasslands Saskatchewan
  Prince Albert Saskatchewan
  Riding Mountain Manitoba
  Wapusk Manitoba
  Bruce Peninsula Ontario
  St. Lawrence Islands Ontario
  Point Pelee Ontario
  Georgian Bay Islands Ontario
  Pukaskwa Ontario
R | P Forillon Quebec 2008
  La Mauricie Quebec
R | P Fundy New Brunswick 2008
R | P Kouchibouguac New Brunswick 2008
R | P Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island 2008
R | P Cape Breton Highlands Nova Scotia 2008
R | P Kejimkujik Nova Scotia 2008
  Gros Morne Newfoundland
  Terra Nova Newfoundland
  Ivvavik Yukon
R | P Kluane Yukon 2008
  Vuntut Yukon
  Aulavik Northwest Territories
  Thaydene Nene Northwest Territories
  Tuktut Nogait Northwest Territories
  Auyuittuq Nunavut
  Quttinirpaaq Nunavut
  Sirmilik Nunavut
  Ukkusiksalik Nunavut