
National Parks
Seeing America has kind of been the theme of our travel destinations for many years. Granted, it has mostly been the American West because that’s where we live, but any time we have the opportunity for a road trip we seek out historical or natural points of interest to learn more about our country.

A few weeks ago Lyle helped some friends plan a trip from western Washington to their home in Indiana. We had met up with them at a church camp in Tacoma and they asked for suggestions of things to see and do on their way home. They wanted to see Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park and visit Mount Rushmore near Rapid City, South Dakota.
Planning road trips is one of Lyle’s areas of expertise so he was more than happy to help them.
Their route took them right by the print shop. They stopped for a quick tour and then we went out to lunch with them. We told them we envy their trip! Not that we are jealous that they got to do it, but that we wished we had time for a long trip this year. There are still so many places we’d love to explore.
Apparently there are a total of 61 National Parks, not to mention National Monuments and National Memorials. We have been to several of them, but not even a quarter of them! I’d say we still have some sight-seeing to do!
We’ve never been to a Disney theme park but we have visited a number of National Parks as a family.

National Parks
- Bryce Canyon, Utah. August 2006.
- Denali, Alaska. May 2015.
- Gateway Arch, Missouri. November 1985.
- Glacier, Montana. August 2007.
- Grand Canyon, Arizona. Visit #1. August 2006.
- Grand Canyon, Arizona. Visit #2. November 2015.
- Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Summer 1976.
- Mount Rainier, Washington. June 2008.
- Redwood, California. October 2012.
- Rocky Mountain, Colorado. June 2004.
- Theodore Roosevelt, North Dakota. July 2007.
- Yellowstone, Wyoming. July 2001.
- Yosemite National Park, California. 1988.
I visited Denali with co-workers on a business trip, and Mammoth Cave as a child, so Lyle and the girls have not been to those two sites. Also, a few of these are places Lyle and I visited either before the kids were born or on anniversary trips.
Probably next on my “National Parks Bucket List” (if I have such a thing) is Olympia in western Washington and Everglades in southern Florida.

National Monuments
- California Coastal, California. August 2006.
- Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho. November 2016.
- Grand Staircase-Escalante, Utah. August 2006.
- Mount St. Helens, Washington. August 2013.
- Pompey’s Pillar, Montana. July 2007.
- Statue of Liberty, New York. May 1991.
National Monuments include “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest.” I will admit that some are more interesting than others.

National Memorials
- Fort Clatsop, Oregon. August 2004.
- Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. June 1991.
- Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. July 1990 and July 2009.
- Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington D.C. June 1991.
- Washington Monument, Washington D.C. June 1991.
The Washington D.C. trip was pre-kid. We’d love to visit the east coast again sometime but I’m not sure when that might happen.
Which National Parks and such have you visited? Which ones are still on your “bucket list?”
Linking up with Timberdoodle’s Learning on the Go Blog Hop:


11 Comments
Rachel Easley Going
I don’t think I’ve visited very many National Parks. I guess the road trips we’ve taken have been more of the get to the destination as quickly as possible kind. I enjoyed your list.
Karla Ezell Cook
I think you would enjoy them if you ever have the opportunity, Rachel!
OneLuckeyWife
This is such an awesome list! I’ve never been to any other state besides Texas but I hope we get to travel lots with Stacie.
Karla Ezell Cook
Traveling with kids is so much fun!
Lisa Rupertus
I hope to visit more national parks and landmarks. It is definitely on my bucket list!
Karla Ezell Cook
They are great! I hope you have the chance to visit more of them!
Kristen
I’ve been to a lot of the historic sites in the DE Valley, MD, and VA – mostly colonial & civil war sites. Do you have one of those passport books? I have one from my teen years and we got one for my stepson when he was younger. I also had the pleasure of volunteering at the Edgar Allan Poe Historic Site in Philadelphia. I love the National Parks. Dream job was to be a ranger. I just was never at the point in my life where I would be able to move around the country to find a job.
Karla Ezell Cook
I’ve only been to the east coast once. I hope we have a chance to visit some of the sites you mentioned, Kristen. I don’t have one of the passport books, though that would be fun.
Hope
This post makes me want to go on a road trip! I’m not sure I’ve been to many National Parks, but Yellowstone is definitely on my bucket list.
Spark and Wonder
How special to have visited such great national parks. I can’t recall having visited any National parks but there are a few State parks that are absolute favorites to visit. As a matter of fact we are getting ready to road trip to one very soon!
Sheila DelCharco
Visiting the National Parks is something we really enjoy doing! There aren’t nearly as many in the SE as there are out west so we need to start planning some trips out west! We have a long way to go!