National Parks

[sparker]

Although the closest NP to me is Pinnacles, I've only actually been there once (from the east/CA 25 side); a bum knee keeps me from long hikes these days.  Technically, the park I've been to most is Redwood NP between Eureka and Crescent City -- only because US 101 runs right through it, and that's along my favorite drive of all time (US 101 between Ukiah, CA and Astoria, OR).  Have a soft spot for Lassen as well; one of the prettiest through-park drives of any of them.   

[Rothman]

Up to 255 out of 417 (made it out to Dry Tortugas to boot):

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
Acadia National Park
Adams National Historical Park
African Burial Ground National Monument
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
Antietam National Battlefield
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Arches National Park
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Assateague Island National Seashore
Badlands National Park
Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
Big Bend National Park
Big Cypress National Preserve
Biscayne National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park
Blue Ridge Parkway
Bluestone National Scenic River
Booker T. Washington National Monument
Boston African American National Historic Site
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Boston National Historical Park
Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canaveral National Seashore
Canyonlands National Park
Cape Cod National Seashore
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Capitol Reef National Park
Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Castle Clinton National Monument
Catoctin Mountain Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park
Chamizal National Memorial
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
City of Rocks National Reserve
Clara Barton National Historic Site
Colonial National Historical Park
Colorado National Monument
Constitution Gardens
Crater Lake National Park
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Craters of the Moon National Preserve
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
De Soto National Memorial
Death Valley National Park
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Devils Postpile National Monument
Devils Tower National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Dry Tortugas National Park
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
Eisenhower National Historic Site
El Malpais National Monument
El Morro National Monument
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Everglades National Park
Federal Hall National Memorial
Fire Island National Seashore
First Ladies National Historic Site
First State National Monument
Flight 93 National Memorial
Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
Fort Caroline National Memorial
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Fort Frederica National Monument
Fort Larned National Historic Site
Fort Matanzas National Monument
Fort McHenry NM and Historic Shrine
Fort Monroe National Monument
Fort Necessity National Battlefield
Fort Pulaski National Monument
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Fort Scott National Historic Site
Fort Stanwix National Monument
Fort Sumter National Monument
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Fort Washington Park
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial
Friendship Hill National Historic Site
Gateway National Recreation Area
Gauley River National Recreation Area
General Grant National Memorial
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
George Washington Birthplace National Monument
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Gettysburg National Military Park
Glacier National Park
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Governors Island National Monument
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Great Basin National Park
Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Greenbelt Park
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
Haleakalā National Park
Hamilton Grange National Memorial
Hampton National Historic Site
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park
Harriett Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument
Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Hawai"˜i Volcanoes National Park
Home of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Hot Springs National Park
Hovenweep National Monument
Independence National Historical Park
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Jean Lafitte NHP and Preserve
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jewel Cave National Monument
John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
Korean War Veterans National Memorial
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Little River Canyon National Preserve
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
Longfellow National Historic Site
Lowell National Historical Park
Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac National Memorial
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
Mammoth Cave National Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Manhattan Project National Historical Park
Manzanar National Historic Site
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
Mesa Verde National Park
Middle Delaware National Scenic River
Minidoka National Historic Site
Minute Man National Historical Park
Mississippi National River and Recreation Areas
Mojave National Preserve
Monocacy National Battlefield
Moores Creek National Battlefield
Morristown National Historical Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Muir Woods National Monument
Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail
Natchez Trace Parkway
National Capital Parks
National Mall
Natural Bridges National Monument
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
New River Gorge National River
North Cascades National Park
Obed Wild and Scenic River
Olympic National Park
Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Preserve (one unit)
Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
Petersburg National Battlefield
Petrified Forest National Park
Petroglyph National Monument
Pipe Spring National Monument
Piscataway Park
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
Poverty Point National Monument
Prince William Forest Park
Redwood National Park
Richmond National Battlefield Park
Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River
River Raisin National Battlefield Park
Rock Creek Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Roger Williams National Memorial
Russell Cave National Monument
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
Salem Maritime National Historic Site
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
San Juan Island National Historical Park
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Saratoga National Historical Park
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
Sequoia National Park
Shenandoah National Park
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Springfield Armory National Historic Site
Statue of Liberty National Monument
Steamtown National Historic Site
Stones River National Battlefield
Stonewall National Monument
Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Thomas Stone National Historic Site
Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Timucuan Ecological and Historic National Preserve
Tupelo National Battlefield
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreation River
Valley Forge National Historical Park
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Washington Monument
Weir Farm National Historic Site
White House (President's Park)
William Howard Taft National Historic Site
Wind Cave National Park
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Women's Rights National Historical Park
World War II Memorial
World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Yellowstone National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yucca House National Monument
Zion National Park

[Max Rockatansky]

Although the closest NP to me is Pinnacles, I've only actually been there once (from the east/CA 25 side); a bum knee keeps me from long hikes these days.  Technically, the park I've been to most is Redwood NP between Eureka and Crescent City -- only because US 101 runs right through it, and that's along my favorite drive of all time (US 101 between Ukiah, CA and Astoria, OR).  Have a soft spot for Lassen as well; one of the prettiest through-park drives of any of them.   

I've been trying to convince my fiancé to go Lassen this whole summer.  I've been there twice but it's one of four National Parks in California she hasn't been to.  Lassen also has the advantage of probably being the most quiet National Park in California which is a nice change of pace from Yosemite. 

Incidentally I believe that I've now hiked every trail in Pinnacles now. There isn't a ton of Vista level scenery but that sure is a nice place to get a really long moderate difficulty hike in. 

[inkyatari]

Any updates on where the legislation went?

I haven't heard anything.  Time to search Thomas

https://www.congress.gov/search?q={%22congress%22:%22115%22,%22source%22:%22legislation%22,%22search%22:%22indiana%20dunes%22}&searchResultViewType=expanded

Apparently it's only been introduced.  No further action has been recorded as of yet.

UPDATE:  Apparently it's passed one of the houses of congress.  It's just waiting on the other (Senate, I think.)

[csw]

My list, roughly in chronological order:

Everglades
Mammoth Cave
Great Smoky Mountains
Rocky Mountain
Hot Springs

And for fun, here's a list of National Forests I've hiked in:

Arapaho, CO
Chattahoochee, GA
Chequamegon-Nicolet, WI
Hoosier, IN
Nantahala, NC
Ouachita, AR
Pisgah, NC
Roosevelt, CO
San Juan, CO
Shawnee, IL

Will be adding Green Mountain, VT to that list shortly

[sparker]

Although the closest NP to me is Pinnacles, I've only actually been there once (from the east/CA 25 side); a bum knee keeps me from long hikes these days.  Technically, the park I've been to most is Redwood NP between Eureka and Crescent City -- only because US 101 runs right through it, and that's along my favorite drive of all time (US 101 between Ukiah, CA and Astoria, OR).  Have a soft spot for Lassen as well; one of the prettiest through-park drives of any of them.   

I've been trying to convince my fiancé to go Lassen this whole summer.  I've been there twice but it's one of four National Parks in California she hasn't been to.  Lassen also has the advantage of probably being the most quiet National Park in California which is a nice change of pace from Yosemite. 

Incidentally I believe that I've now hiked every trail in Pinnacles now. There isn't a ton of Vista level scenery but that sure is a nice place to get a really long moderate difficulty hike in. 

That's one of the great salient points about Lassen -- it's far enough away from populated areas to be able to avoid the commercialization that permeates the parks farther south in the Sierras.  Although my GF definitely isn't the camping type (a motel with a fridge is her idea of "roughing it" -- she was born & raised in the CT 'burbs between New Haven and Hartford), she did like our one daytime picnic in the meadows at Lassen several years back as a side-trip from a Portland jaunt.  I had to convince her not to try to jump across one of the creeks in the meadow -- they're in volcanic crevasses that can be up to 12 feet deep and V-shaped!  Nevertheless, the best description of Lassen would be "bucolic" -- and definitely a nice escape from civilization! 

[Max Rockatansky]

Although the closest NP to me is Pinnacles, I've only actually been there once (from the east/CA 25 side); a bum knee keeps me from long hikes these days.  Technically, the park I've been to most is Redwood NP between Eureka and Crescent City -- only because US 101 runs right through it, and that's along my favorite drive of all time (US 101 between Ukiah, CA and Astoria, OR).  Have a soft spot for Lassen as well; one of the prettiest through-park drives of any of them.   

I've been trying to convince my fiancé to go Lassen this whole summer.  I've been there twice but it's one of four National Parks in California she hasn't been to.  Lassen also has the advantage of probably being the most quiet National Park in California which is a nice change of pace from Yosemite. 

Incidentally I believe that I've now hiked every trail in Pinnacles now. There isn't a ton of Vista level scenery but that sure is a nice place to get a really long moderate difficulty hike in. 

That's one of the great salient points about Lassen -- it's far enough away from populated areas to be able to avoid the commercialization that permeates the parks farther south in the Sierras.  Although my GF definitely isn't the camping type (a motel with a fridge is her idea of "roughing it" -- she was born & raised in the CT 'burbs between New Haven and Hartford), she did like our one daytime picnic in the meadows at Lassen several years back as a side-trip from a Portland jaunt.  I had to convince her not to try to jump across one of the creeks in the meadow -- they're in volcanic crevasses that can be up to 12 feet deep and V-shaped!  Nevertheless, the best description of Lassen would be "bucolic" -- and definitely a nice escape from civilization!

The first time I was there in 2014 I didn't notice any signs for sulfur vents on one of the trails (to my defense it was partially blocked by overgrowth).  I ended hearing water roaring under my feet and saw steam up ahead which clued me in to where I was.  I was able to back out without causing a cave in but it was probably the closest to ever getting seriously injured in 46 National Parks.

[inkyatari]

Shawnee, IL

The Shawnees are amazing.  Really the only part of Illinois worth visiting, IMHO (remember I live in the SW Chicago burbs)

[paulthemapguy]

Lassen is amazing.  We hiked up Lassen Peak last October--one of the top 3 most difficult hikes for two out-of-shape Midwesterners for sure.  But you get to climb to the top of a snow-capped volcano!  How cool is that?  And Bumpass Hell features some of the gaseous, colorful, bubbling geologic oddities reminiscent of Yellowstone.  Want to see some of the volcanic stuff without the crowds of Yellowstone?  Lassen NP will hook you up.  The best part is that it's over an hour from the nearest city with an Interstate running through it, so it isn't overly commercialized for once, as others stated above.

Shawnee National Forest is surprisingly delightful.  Ask the locals where the good swimming holes and natural features are at.  It'll make your trip more enjoyable.  My gf and I went there last July.  The Garden of the Gods is the best thing in all of Illinois, imo.  Also check out Pomona Natural Bridge, Cave-in-Rock, Jackson Falls, and Giant City.  (The only 2 natural areas other than this in IL worth visiting are the driftless area in the NW corner and the Mathiessen/Starved Rock area.)

I collect the brochures they hand you for free at the National Parks and other National "units."  I love starting collections of "free" things you get as souvenirs (why waste time in a gift shop?).  My gf and I now share 12 park visits with each other.

[inkyatari]

Shawnee National Forest is surprisingly delightful.  Ask the locals where the good swimming holes and natural features are at.  It'll make your trip more enjoyable.  My gf and I went there last July.  The Garden of the Gods is the best thing in all of Illinois, imo.  Also check out Pomona Natural Bridge, Cave-in-Rock, Jackson Falls, and Giant City.  (The only 2 natural areas other than this in IL worth visiting are the driftless area in the NW corner and the Mathiessen/Starved Rock area.)

I live 30 minutes from Starved Rock, and the people from Chicago have ruined the place.  Last summer some asshole spray painted all over the council overhang area, and it cost the state several hundred thousand dollars to get rid of the grafitti.

As for the Shawnees, Rim Rock trail is amazing, and not as crowded as the Garden of the Gods.  A couple years ago I hiked a few of the Garden of the Gods wilderness area trails, and it is so very worth getting off the beaten path for. The Pomona Natural Bridge is pretty amazing.  I'm hoping they repair the La-Rue / Pine Hills road, as that's an amazing drive.  Really, in southern Illinois you can make a random turn and find something amazing.

I forgot about the driftless area.  Galena, Savanna..  Beautiful area.  Mississippi Palisades State Park is awesome, the drive up Blackjack Road from Hanford to Galena is very scenic.  The Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort just off of Blackjack has an alpine slide in the summer..  There's really no place in the area that doesn't have amazing views.

[kurumi]

Just got back from Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Saw tons of bison (literally) including a couple traffic jams (the saying goes, it's their park, we're just visiting, so be patient); pronghorn, moose, and a beautiful 10-point elk.

[sipes23]

Any updates on where the legislation went?

I haven't heard anything.  Time to search Thomas

https://www.congress.gov/search?q={%22congress%22:%22115%22,%22source%22:%22legislation%22,%22search%22:%22indiana%20dunes%22}&searchResultViewType=expanded

Apparently it's only been introduced.  No further action has been recorded as of yet.

UPDATE:  Apparently it's passed one of the houses of congress.  It's just waiting on the other (Senate, I think.)

If Cuyahoga Valley can be a national park, so can Indiana Dunes. Not a slur on Cuyahoga Valley, which is wonderful in its own right.

Now for my list of National Parks in the United States:
Acadia NP
Arches NP
Badlands NP
Bryce Canyon NP
Canyonlands NP
Capitol Reef NP
Cuyahoga Valley NP
Death Valley NP
Denali NP
Glacier NP
Grand Teton NP
Great Basin NP
Great Sand Dunes NP
Jefferson NP (though not since its redesignation)
Joshua Tree NP
Kenai Fjords NP
Ranier NP
Rocky Mountain NP
Saguaro NP
Wind Cave NP
Yellowstone NP
Zion NP

[dfilpus]

22 National Parks:
Acadia
Bryce Canyon
Congaree
Crater Lake
Cuyahoga Valley
Everglades
Gateway Arch
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Smoky Mountains
Haleakalā
Hawai"˜i Volcanoes
Kings Canyon
Mount Rainier
Olympic
Redwood
Rocky Mountain,
Sequoia
Shenandoah
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Zion

[NWI_Irish96]

No good pics to post, but I've visited:

Arches (Utah)
Badlands (S Dakota)
Everglades (Florida)
Grand Canyon (Arizona)
Great Smoky Mountains (N Carolina/Tennessee)
Hot Springs (Arkansas)
Mammoth Cave (Kentucky)
Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
Saguaro (Arizona)
Yellowstone (Idaho/Montana/Wyoming)

Add one to my list: Indiana Dunes National Park

[Max Rockatansky]

No good pics to post, but I've visited:

Arches (Utah)
Badlands (S Dakota)
Everglades (Florida)
Grand Canyon (Arizona)
Great Smoky Mountains (N Carolina/Tennessee)
Hot Springs (Arkansas)
Mammoth Cave (Kentucky)
Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
Saguaro (Arizona)
Yellowstone (Idaho/Montana/Wyoming)

Add one to my list: Indiana Dunes National Park

Saw that the other day, glad I stopped by in 2017 for some new hiking photos. 

[inkyatari]

I did not realize this, but the Gateway National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, MO, was renamed Gateway Arch National Park sometime last year.

[Max Rockatansky]

I did not realize this, but the Gateway National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, MO, was renamed Gateway Arch National Park sometime last year.

Yes, the crappy part for me is that was something I lost in hard drive crash.  I've been trying to convince my wife to revisit the Gateway Arch and Indiana Dunes this summer because they were bumped to National Parks.

[csw]

I'm still confused as to why they made the Gateway Arch a national park. I get wanting to have one in the Midwest, but it's just a waterfront park with a man-made structure. If anything they should've made it a National Historical Park. I'm hoping this trend doesn't continue. I normally don't like this argument as justification for keeping things the same but the value of National Parks will be degraded if they keep adding things like the Gateway Arch.

[tdindy88]

That is certainly opening the door to different possibilities. Why can't the Golden Gate National Recreational Area be a national park? It has a famous bridge and some nice scenery. How about the Statue of Liberty, Liberty National Park?

And while as a Hoosier I'm happy for Indiana Dunes to become a national park, I think Sleeping Bear Dunes and Painted Rocks National Lakeshores in Michigan should be upgraded as well. Both parks are absolutely beautiful and honestly more impressive than the Indiana Dunes are.

[Max Rockatansky]

That is certainly opening the door to different possibilities. Why can't the Golden Gate National Recreational Area be a national park? It has a famous bridge and some nice scenery. How about the Statue of Liberty, Liberty National Park?

And while as a Hoosier I'm happy for Indiana Dunes to become a national park, I think Sleeping Bear Dunes and Painted Rocks National Lakeshores in Michigan should be upgraded as well. Both parks are absolutely beautiful and honestly more impressive than the Indiana Dunes are.

But the door essentially has been there all the way back National Parks like Hot Springs and Mesa Verde.  Granted Hot Springs has a natural feature but it's the historic district of bathhouses which is what people see.  Mesa Verde's primary feature is structures left behind by Native Tribes which is usually is National Monument fare. 

And yes, there is no real reason Sleeping Bear Dunes shouldn't be a full fledged National Park.  Those dunes are absolutely massive and seen endless on a day hike. 

[inkyatari]

There was some talk about condensing the designation of parks down to several different types.

Right now we have

National Parks
National Monuments
National Memorials
National Recreation Areas
National Historic Parks
National Preserves
National Historic Sites
National Rivers
National Wild and Scenic Rivers
National Trails
National Parkways
National Heritage Areas
National Lakeshore
National Seashore
National Cemetery
National Battlefield
National Battlefield park
National reserve


Here's how I would change the designations...

Keep Parks, Monuments, Memorials and Recreation Areas. These would not change.

National Historic Parks - would be National Memorials
National Preserves - Folded into National Parks
National Historic Sites - Folded into National Memorials
National Rivers - National Parks or Recreation Areas
National Wild and Scenic Rivers - National Parks or Recreation Areas
National Trails - National Recreation Areas
National Parkways - National Parks or Recreation Areas
National Heritage Areas - These are almost all affiliated areas that get no federal funding. Not sure what I'd do with these, as the feds generally don't own anything in these areas
National Lakeshore - National Parks or Recreation Areas
National Seashore - National Parks or Recreation Areas
National Cemetery - National Memorial
National Battlefield - National Memorial
National Battlefield park - National Memorial
National reserve - Again, there's little federal area in any of these. Not sure how I'd handle these.

[polarscribe]

I agree with simplifying the NPS designation system, but converting National Historical Parks, Battlefields, etc. to National Memorials wouldn't make any sense. National Memorials are traditionally just that – memorials built after an event or a person, often not even having a physical relationship to the event or person. They memorialize historical events and people, but they are not themselves historic things (when built). National Historical Parks, on the other hand, generally preserve specific historical buildings and landscapes – they are distinguished from National Historic Sites, generally, by being larger than a single "site." In fact, if we were going to change to a single term, it would be much better to use National Historical Park for all historic-related NPS units.

National preserves cannot be conflated with national parks, because there is a key legal difference – by law, subsistence and sport hunting is permitted within areas designated as national preserves.

Likewise, terming the national trail system trails as "Recreation Areas" is needless and confusing because the vast majority of them are not physical "trails"; rather, the rough routes of those trails are marked on modern highways as "Tour Routes" allowing tourists to follow the general path of the trail, with certain sites along each trail preserved or commemorated.

[polarscribe]

Oh, and NPS/FS units visited:

NP
Arches
Badlands
Bryce Canyon
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Channel Islands
Cuyahoga Valley
Crater Lake
Death Valley
Denali
Gateway Arch
Glacier
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Basin
Great Sand Dunes
Great Smoky Mountains
Joshua Tree
Kings Canyon
Lassen Volcanic
Mammoth Cave
Mesa Verde
Mount Rainier
Pinnacles
Redwood
Rocky Mountain
Sequoia
Wind Cave
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Zion

NM
Aztec Ruins
Bandelier
Cabrillo
Capulin Volcano
Castle Clinton
Cedar Breaks
Colorado
Craters of the Moon
Devils Postpile
Dinosaur
Fort Union
Fossil Butte
Hovenweep
John Day Fossil Beds
Lava Beds
Muir Woods
Natural Bridges
Oregon Caves
Petroglyph
Pipe Spring
Statue of Liberty
Sunset Crater Volcano
Timpanogos Cave
Wupatki
Yucca House

NPres
Craters of the Moon
Denali
Great Sand Dunes
Mojave
Tallgrass Prairie
Valles Caldera

NHP
Boston
Chaco Culture
Colonial
George Rogers Clark
Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Independence
Klondike Gold Rush
Lowell
Nez Perce
Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front
San Francisco Maritime
Sitka
Thomas Edison

NHS
Chicago Portage
Eugene O'Neill
Ford's Theatre
Fort Larned
Fort Point
Fort Vancouver
Golden Spike
John Muir
Manzanar
Minuteman Missile
Nicodemus
Pennsylvania Avenue
Sagamore Hill
Sand Creek Massacre
Ulysses S. Grant

NMP
Gettysburg

NB
Big Hole

NMem
Federal Hall
Flight 93
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Korean War Veterans
Lincoln Boyhood
Lincoln Memorial
LBJ Memorial Grove
MLK Jr. Memorial
Mount Rushmore
Port Chicago Naval Magazine
Theodore Roosevelt Island
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Washington Monument
World War II Memorial

NRA
Delaware Water Gap
Gateway
Glen Canyon
Golden Gate
Lake Mead
Santa Monica Mountains
Whiskeytown

NS
Cape Cod
Point Reyes

NRiver
Mississippi
New River Gorge

NPkwy
Baltimore-Washington
Rockefeller

NSR
Saint Croix

NF
R1
Beaverhead-Deerlodge
Flathead
Idaho Panhandle
Kootenai
Lolo
Nez Perce-Clearwater

R2
Arapaho-Roosevelt
Black Hills
Buffalo Gap
Cimarron
Comanche
Grand Mesa-Uncompaghre-Gunnison
Medicine Bow-Routt
Nebraska
Oglala
Pike-San Isabel
Rio Grande
San Juan
White River

R3
Carson
Cibola
Coconino
Kaibab
Kiowa
Santa Fe

R4
Ashley
Boise
Bridger-Teton
Caribou-Targhee
Dixie

Humboldt-Toiyabe
Manti-La Sal
Payette
Salmon-Challis
Sawtooth
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache

R5
Angeles
Cleveland
Eldorado
Inyo
Klamath
Lake Tahoe Basin
Lassen
Los Padres
Mendocino

Modoc
Plumas
San Bernardino
Sequoia
Shasta-Trinity
Sierra
Six Rivers
Stanislaus
Tahoe

R6
Colville
Deschutes
Fremont-Winema
Gifford Pinchot
Malheur
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie
Ochoco
Okanogan-Wenatchee
Rogue River-Siskiyou
Umatilla
Wallowa-Whitman (work for)

R9
Hoosier

R10
Chugach
Tongass (worked for)

USFS special designations:
Admiralty Island NM
Columbia River Gorge NSA
Giant Sequoia NM
Hells Canyon NRA
Misty Fiords NM
Mono Basin NSA
Mount Saint Helens NVM
Newberry NVM
Shasta-Trinity NRA

[ErmineNotyours]

Counting only parks I've been to as an adult and not ones I've been taken to:

Mt. Rainier
Olympic
Crater Lake
National Mall

I've also been to Banff, and Yosemite, and I want to go back to Yellowstone.

I've really only been to Rainier twice by myself and only once with a digital camera (when I can photograph wildlife without distraction).  I stumbled upon this bear cub in a meadow near Sunrise, and hoped his mom was not behind me.

Bear cub in Mt. Rainier National Park by Arthur Allen, on Flickr

On the trip with just a film camera I got a deer staring at me, and a mamma frog in a snowy pond, guarding her eggs.

[Max Rockatansky]

Strangely as many parks I've been to and as much hiking I've done I have yet to encounter a bear in a National Park.  The only bear run-ins I've had were in Florida State Parks in the central part of the state.