Our National Parks

I did not discover our national parks until I was in my thirties. While exploring with my daughters, I visited Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts and learned that it was part of something much larger—the National Park System. I was fascinated by the idea that places considered important to our shared history and natural heritage had been entrusted to the nation and preserved for everyone.

Until then, I had thought of national parks primarily as vast landscapes of mountains, forests, and canyons. I soon discovered that the system also protects battlefields, historic homes, monuments, seashores, archaeological sites, and places where important chapters of the American story unfolded. Each one offers a different way to understand the land and the people who came before us.

That first discovery began a journey that has continued for decades. I have now visited more than 400 places within the National Park System, returning to some more than once. I have traveled from towering mountains and winding coastlines to quiet historic sites, always finding something new to learn, appreciate, or remember.

Our national parks preserve extraordinary places, but they also belong to all of us. Each visit is an opportunity to step into history, experience the present, and reflect on what we have chosen to protect for the future. Here, I share the places I have explored and the discoveries, stories, and simple moments of wonder I found along the way.