PHOENIX — It took 37 years, but they finally did it: Long-time Arizona residents Darryl and Kathleen Toupkin have visited every single national park.
The pair visited their first national park almost 37 years ago, checking out the Mesa Verde National Park in New Mexico. They began attempting their goal in earnest in 2004, traveling across the country with their puppies and a tent trailer, and going out of their way to see parks while visiting friends and family.
Now, you might be thinking, there can't be that many national parks, right?
While there are only 63 parks, the National Park Service does not only designate parks. NPS also administers places such as monuments, memorials, battlefields, military parks, scenic rivers, lakeshores, parkways, national trails, national recreation areas and preserves.
All in all? There are 430 NPS units across the United States, including some in Alaska, Hawaii and every inhabited United States territory.
And that's just right now. When the Toupkins first started national parks and seriously working toward their goal of seeing them all, there were 396 units. When they finished in August, the number of units was 430.
The journey was one of over a hundred thousand miles of driving, plus a hundred thousand more flying commercial jets, helicopters and tiny seaplanes — not to mention all of the hiking, walking, paddling, rafting, bicycling and more that the Toupkins did inside the units.
The couple officially hit their goal in August, visiting St. Croix Island International Historic Site at the easternmost point of the contiguous United States, in Calais, Maine.
Their success was almost thwarted when just one week after traveling to Maine, the NPS announced another NPS unit — thankfully, the Toupkins had already visited this spot.
"You may ask why have they done this? Kathleen jokes: 'Never give my husband a list!'" a news release the couple sent out said. "But seriously, they believe that it is just a wonderful way to explore the country, taking you to places that you might have never considered going to visit."
Kathleen Toupkin's favorite national park units are Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Richmond, Virginia and George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Vincennes, Indiana because they both capture "truly inspiring stories."
For Darryl Toupkin, the answer is a little more remote — literally. Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve in Alaska is not only Darryl's favorite unit, but one of the least visited national park units.
"The Toupkins welcome this and appreciate everything that the National Park Service and their partners do," the news release said. "They look forward to continuing their journey, revisiting old favorites and visiting new national park units as they arise."
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