Inspired by National Parks
When we were in Chicago last month, Alex and I went to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (which I highly recommend). We saw a movie there that really inspired me about the National Parks of the United States called National Parks Adventure. It was a beautiful film with an amazing soundtrack that I had to look up online so I could download all the songs. Love the music they used!
It got me thinking about how lucky I am to live in Utah (home to 5 National Parks). I also reflected on how amazing it is that I've been able to visit several National Parks with my children over the years.
If you want to go somewhere with great photography opportunities, National Parks are the place! Here's a list of National Parks by location. I've italicized the ones I've been to and also included the year(s) of my visit. Turns out there are a lot of them I have not been to. I would love to see as many as possible!
Alaska (8)
- Denali
- Gates of the Arctic
- Glacier Bay
- Katmai
- Kenai Fjords
- Kobuk Valley
- Lake Clark
- Wrangell - St. Elias
American Samoa (1)
- American Samoa
Arizona (3)
- Grand Canyon
- Petrified Forest
- Saguaro
Arkansas (1)
- Hot Springs
California (8)
- Channel Islands
- Death Valley
- Joshua Tree
- Kings Canyon
- Lassen Volcanic
- Redwood - we did drive through this when I was 15 years old but I was in the backseat and got very carsick from all the winding roads. I really didn't see much and we didn't even stop. I'm not even sure I should count this.
- Sequoia
- Yosemite
Colorado (4)
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison
- Great Sand Dunes
- Mesa Verde
- Rocky Mountain
Florida (3)
- Biscayne
- Dry Tortugas
- Everglades
Hawaii (2)
- Haleakala
- Hawaii Volcanoes
Idaho (1)
- Yellowstone 1990, 2010, 2011. I went to Yellowstone with my parents and brothers the year before I got married. Then I traveled there with my husband and his extended family and our kids in 2010 and 2011. We love Yellowstone!
Kentucky (1)
- Mammoth Cave
Maine (1)
- Acadia
Michigan (1)
- Isle Royale
Minnesota (1)
- Voyageurs
Montana (2)
- Glacier
- Yellowstone - 1990, 2010, 2011. I went to Yellowstone with my parents and brothers the year before I got married. Then I traveled there with my husband and his extended family and our kids in 2010 and 2011. We love Yellowstone!
Nevada (1)
- Great Basin
New Mexico (1)
- Carlsbad Caverns
North Carolina (1)
- Great Smoky Mountains
North Dakota (1)
- Theodore Roosevelt
Ohio (1)
- Cuyahoga Valley
Oregon (1)
- Crater Lake
South Carolina (1)
- Congaree
South Dakota (2)
- Badlands
- Wind Cave
Tennessee (1)
- Great Smoky Mountains
Texas (2)
- Big Bend
- Guadalupe Mountains
U.S. Virgin Islands (1)
- Virgin Islands
Utah (5)
- Arches - 2005 with my hubby and kids. We stopped on our way while driving to New Mexico to visit my family.
- Bryce Canyon - 1990 with my boyfriend Jeff (now my husband) and his sister and one of her friends. I had gone to Cedar City with Jeff's family and the 4 of us took a detour on the way home since they couldn't believe I had never been to Bryce before. We also visited with my husband's family in 2012. I think I've been there one other time, but I can't figure out when that was.
- Capitol Reef
- Canyonlands
- Zion - 2012 with my husband and his extended family and our kids.
Virginia (1)
- Shenandoah
Washington (3)
- Mount Rainier
- North Cascades
- Olympic
Wyoming (2)
- Grand Teton - 1990 I visited this park with my parents during the same trip we went to Yellowstone.
- Yellowstone - 1990, 2010, 2011. I went to Yellowstone with my parents and brothers the year before I got married. Then I traveled there with my husband and his extended family and our kids in 2010 and 2011. We love Yellowstone!
How many National Parks have you visited? Have you ever thought to include a list of them in a journal or scrapbook? I know I'm going to create a page about this topic and also start working on the rest of them as part of my bucket list!