My National Parks Passport

Once the coronavirus epidemic is over and we can all travel again, don’t leave home without it! – road trips, vacation excursions, cruise ports, national wetlands, grasslands, seashores, and monuments & memorials – no, it is not your American Express card, it is your National Parks Passport!

Living in, and visiting, the USA brings many rich opportunities to explore national parks, monuments, shorelines, grasslands, and trails. The US National Park Service maintains such areas and preserves them for the enjoyment and appreciation of many generations to come. Because we love visiting many of the parks each year, we purchase annual passes and don’t leave home without them. And, as important as that pass can be, the one thing I try to never leave home without is actually my National Park Passport book. It might sound childish, but I love stamping my passport each time I visit one of our national parks, even if that means a duplicate stamp at a previously visited site, but with a new date. My passport is a tool for keeping memories fresh of the times we have explored the parks and monuments and enjoyed many walks in places being preserved for just that reason. 

The stamps usually display the current date and name of the visited site, but some also include etched pictures of the location, such as Skagway’s Gateway to the Klondike. When the National Park Service turned 100, there was even a special stamp commemorating the past century’s work. There are also regional sticker sets that can be added to the passport pages which are available for sale from each park’s visitor centers. Regardless, I sure enjoy collecting those stamps as we journey through our National Park Service locations. Where were my two favorite stamps collected? One was in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico while we were in port as a part of a cruise itinerary. The other was from the visitor’s center in Skagway, Alaska – the Gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush! 

Of course, our granddaughter has a junior passport and she is excited to keep track of her many adventures as well. Her most exciting stamp came from Glacier Bay National Park while taking an Alaskan cruise with her parents and Nana! So, whether you are young or simply young at heart, a National Park Service passport opens the doors to many adventures ahead.

Happy walking!