U.S. National Parks We've Visited (and Those Still on the List!)
We’re working our way through the U.S. National Parks, one adventure at a time! Some of these parks we’ve already visited, while others are still on our list. As we explore more parks and write about our experiences, I’ll add links to our blog posts so you can read about what we saw, what we enjoyed, and whether we think each park is worth visiting. Our goal is to keep exploring, keep geocaching when the opportunity arises, and see how many of these incredible places we can experience along the way.
The table below tracks the parks we’ve visited and the ones still waiting for us. Check back as the list grows and new reviews are added!
If you're looking for a particular kind of adventure, you can also browse all our U.S. National Park reviews, state and national parks we think are worth visiting, or state and national parks we found overrated.
This list will grow as we do. One park at a time, until I've explored them all!
| Park Name | Date Visited |
|---|---|
| Acadia National Park | |
| Arches National Park | |
| Badlands National Park | |
| Big Bend National Park | April 23, 2026 |
| Biscayne National Park | |
| Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park | |
| Bryce Canyon National Park | Judy was a toddler... |
| Canyonlands National Park | |
| Capitol Reef National Park | |
| Carlsbad Caverns National Park | October 30, 2026 (prepping to go!) |
| Channel Islands National Park | |
| Congaree National Park | |
| Crater Lake National Park | |
| Cuyahoga Valley National Park | |
| Death Valley National Park | |
| Denali National Park | August 17, 2019 |
| Dry Tortugas National Park | |
| Everglades National Park | January 14, 2012 |
| Gates of the Arctic National Park | |
| Gateway Arch National Park | December 7, 2025 |
| Glacier Bay National Park | August 21, 2019 |
| Glacier National Park | May 29, 2023 |
| Grand Canyon National Park | February 2, 2025 |
| Grand Teton National Park | |
| Great Basin National Park | |
| Great Sand Dunes National Park | |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | |
| Guadalupe Mountains National Park | October 29, 2026 (prepping to go!) |
| Haleakalā National Park | June 2, 2022 |
| Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park | |
| Hot Springs National Park | July 4, 2026 |
| Indiana Dunes National Park | |
| Isle Royale National Park | |
| Joshua Tree National Park | |
| Katmai National Park | |
| Kenai Fjords National Park | |
| Kings Canyon National Park | |
| Kobuk Valley National Park | |
| Lake Clark National Park | |
| Lassen Volcanic National Park | |
| Mammoth Cave National Park | |
| Mesa Verde National Park | |
| Mount Rainier National Park | |
| National Park of American Samoa | |
| New River Gorge National Park and Preserve | |
| North Cascades National Park | |
| Olympic National Park | |
| Petrified Forest National Park | |
| Pinnacles National Park | |
| Redwood National Park | |
| Rocky Mountain National Park | |
| Saguaro National Park | |
| Sequoia National Park | |
| Shenandoah National Park | |
| Theodore Roosevelt National Park | |
| Virgin Islands National Park | |
| Voyageurs National Park | |
| White Sands National Park | |
| Wind Cave National Park | |
| Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | |
| Yellowstone National Park | June 4, 2016 |
| Yosemite National Park | July 9, 2008 |
| Zion National Park |
How We Review the Parks
We gather our information from our own visits, observations, and experiences. These aren't official park inspections or comprehensive guides to every activity a park offers. They're our personal reviews of what we found, what we enjoyed, and what other travelers might want to know before making the trip.
Here's what matters to us when we travel:
Scenery & Beauty: Is the park visually interesting? Are there scenic overlooks, distinctive landscapes, or places worth stopping to enjoy the view?
Hiking & Trails: Are the trails enjoyable, interesting, and worth exploring?
Wildlife & Nature: What opportunities are there to see wildlife, native plants, and other natural features?
Geocaching: Are there geocaches to find, and does the park offer an enjoyable setting for exploring them?
Water Recreation: If the park has water, are swimming, paddling, fishing, or other water activities worth doing?
History & Points of Interest: Are there historic sites, unusual features, educational stops, or other things to discover?
Off-Roading & Driving: Where relevant, are the roads and driving opportunities part of the fun?
Camping & Facilities: When we can assess them, how do the campsites, restrooms, amenities, and other facilities measure up?
Not every category applies to every park, and we don't rate activities we haven't tried or can't reasonably assess. A park without swimming opportunities shouldn't lose points for not being a swimming destination.
How Our Ratings Work
We use a five-point scale for the individual categories, with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent.
We average the category ratings from our reviews, rounding to the nearest half-point. Categories marked N/A, Not Tried, or Unable to Assess aren't included in that calculation.
Our overall ratings are a little different. Evan and I each give the park our own overall rating. We don't average those two scores together, and we don't calculate them from the individual category ratings. The overall score is our personal judgment of the entire experience, taking into account what we enjoy, what the park offers, and whether we think a visit is worthwhile.
We may not always agree, and that's part of the point. One of us might appreciate something the other barely notices. Our reviews aim to preserve those differences rather than manufacture a single verdict.
