Logistics

What is a national park unit?

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National park units in the national park system

Our 63 National Parks are both famous and clearly defined in law, but the other 370 national park units are less well known and are unclearly defined.

  • 25 Battlefields & Military Parks
  • 76 specific Historic Sites, including some battlefields and many military forts
  • 64 general Historical Parks, including some more battlefields
  • 31 Memorials for people, places and both positive & tragic events
  • 11 Gardens and undesignated areas, including some more memorials
  • 87 Monuments, including natural areas, some more battlefields and more military forts
  • 76 Preserves, Recreation Areas, Rivers, Shores and Trails, both protecting wildlife and supporting fishing & hunting

President Lincoln first protected Yosemite Valley. Then Grant created the first national park, Yellowstone. Then Teddy Roosevelt created five more, plus various bird reserves, national forests, and monuments, and he signed the Antiquities Act into law. Then Wilson signed the Organic Act which created the National Park Service. Stephen Mather was instrumental in making the parks into what we see today. And since then, there has been a wide variety of additional legislation, creating, ending, renaming, and reorganizing various types of parks for different purposes, including historic sites, rivers, trails and wilderness.

Turns out, a national park unit is quite arbitrary. Either the President or Congress can authorize a national park unit under different legislation, and they can and do change their status too. Leaders regularly reinvent what a park unit is, what it’s for and why it’s important (or not). Presidents on average increase the total by a couple units per year. But it varies; last week the President shrank two national monuments in Utah. All of which makes my trip planning a moving target.

Officially, there are now 433 national park units of the National Park Service (NPS) managed under rules standardized in 1970. I’ve been to 400. I joined the non-profit National Park Travelers Club (NPTC) to track my visits on their parkstamps.org checklists, and their like-minded community of travelers has been wonderfully helpful. The NPTC got me interested in NPS-related affiliate sites, heritage areas and trails too, and I’ve been to over 100 of these.

  • 32 Affiliates including yet more battlefields, historic sites and memorials
  • 62 Heritage Areas covering broad areas
  • 27 Trails in addition to 6 Scenic Trails that are park units above

National park units outside the national park system

Confusingly, there are 1/2 a dozen other federal agencies that also manage exactly the same types of national park units as the NPS, sometimes jointly and sometimes on their own, often under different or even conflicting rules. This leads to confusion on many websites as to exactly how many national monuments and other types of park units there are in the US. And I have to decide whether to include these units or not.

When I began my quest to see our parks, I assumed that NPS management must mean that the site is worth visiting, but one of the first NPS sites I tried to visit is permanently closed to the public with nothing to see or do. Meanwhile, there are non-NPS national monuments over 1 million acres, extraordinarily beautiful, unique in the world, and as important as they are unforgettable.

If a national historic site, monument or recreation area is important enough to be so designated by the President and/or Congress, then it belongs on my EV road trip itinerary, regardless of which government agency manages it. If a President designates a new national monument in the middle of a large national forest, management likely goes to the US Forest Service (USFS), even though it’s not any less important than other national monuments.

So, don’t be surprised to read about a USFS national recreation area or a national monument managed by the Bureau of Land Management. I’ve already posted about several, and I plan to visit more of the following units outside the NPS.

  • 1 Historic Site
  • 51 Monuments
  • 23 Recreation Areas

Where to draw the line on what to see

But I’ve also decided I can’t visit everywhere I’d like to go. There are over 800 national wilderness areas in the US, plus over 500 national wildlife refuges. Many wildlife refuges do not have any roads, since they’re set aside for forests, wetlands and wildlife, not for people. And that is a problem for my electric car and for me. I’m an old man, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life futilely checking off 2,600+ landmarks, 700+ lighthouses, and ~10,000 state parks. No, I need to draw the line for my own sanity.

I happily drive through national forests and cross scenic rivers every trip, but I usually do so without mention. I’m leaving wilderness areas and wildlife refuges to the plants and animals. I wish I could visit every forest, wild river, wilderness and wildlife refuge in the country, because they’re critically important for saving species, especially as so many lands are being damaged irreversibly by the climate crisis. But I can’t, so I will only mention a few of them occasionally in passing. However, these are our public lands, and I hope you care about and help protect them too. Thanks.

National Parks to Visit in July

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To avoid heat, July is all about high latitude and altitude, and I recommend visiting these northern mountain parks: Glacier, Lassen Volcanic, Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Rocky Mountain . While many other parks are hot and crowded, these are at their peak with plenty of space to explore.

The key to visiting Glacier is to understand that there is only one road through the park, and it doesn’t open until late June. The park is full of activities by June, but the accumulated snow takes a long time to melt at Logan Pass. And it’s a long way around. So if you want to see the sights and do the activities on both sides of the park, then you need to wait until July. August is even busier. The high mountain waterfalls are glorious along the Going to the Sun Road in July.

Lassen Volcanic similarly has its main road blocked late by snow, but by July almost everything is open including some wildflowers. For Bumpass Hell, the full trail usually opens later in July, but there are boiling mud pits and other fascinating volcanic features around the park. Fire damaged parts of the park have mostly reopened this year.

Mount Rainier too is better if you wait until July, when leftover snow recedes to open up roads and trails. I hiked the Paradise Trails in mid July and only crossed one patch of snow. Wildflowers were out, temps were pleasant and the mountain is big enough to handle many happy hikers. Plan your arrival, as the parking lots fill up.

North Cascades is also glorious in July, with wildflowers and waterfalls. Depending on where you want to hike, you may need to go later in the month for all roads to be fully open. But there are many great hiking options all month.

Rocky is another high elevation park, and July is a good time to see wildlife up there. I realize it’s crowded, but if you reserve campgrounds in advance you can reach the best areas early. Visiting in July means that you can move around early, like the elk, and it’s a good time to find bighorn sheep or pikas. I’ve visited in September and felt limited by wind and storms.

National Parks to Visit in June

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I recommend Badlands, Great Smoky, Teddy Roosevelt, Yellowstone and Wind Cave in June. These popular parks are big enough to accommodate some crowds, are more fun in summer, and are even busier in July and August.

The Badlands are at their mildest in June, with wildlife about and even some greenery. Spend some time soaking in the scenery from a campground, time your hikes for the sun angles and weather, and listen to a ranger talk at an amphitheater. You won’t have the place to yourself, but do you really want to be in the Badlands by yourself?

Great Smoky in June is good for seeing bears, fireflies, and for swimming holes or rafting, so no wonder it’s so popular. Plan ahead and spend some time camping here, so you can visit the most popular spots on weekday mornings. Take your time hiking and ask folks what they’ve seen.

Teddy Roosevelt is another fun park that’s great in June. I enjoyed driving to all three park units, hiking and enjoying wildlife and scenic viewpoints. But if I go again, I’m going to stay longer. The folks at the campgrounds were very friendly and nice.

Yellowstone is the best park in the contiguous US and is big with lots to see and do. So you need to go when there’s good weather and activities are in full swing. Book campgrounds and activities well in advance, give yourself time for everything on your list, and go in June before it gets even busier in July and August. The grand old park can handle the crowds, but planning ahead is the key.

Wind Cave is crowded in summer, so common advice says to visit in May or September to avoid crowds and heat. But it’s a cave, so heat is not an issue. And the cave tours are all in guided groups, which are similar in size most of the year. So my advice is to visit when you’re visiting other parks above in the region. And you should absolutely book your tickets in advance. Bison can be seen outside the park entrance in June and other months.

June is a beautiful month, so take advantage of the fine weather, go camping and enjoy some of the best national parks in the country.

Driving to the Yucatán

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After driving down Baja and to Mexico City in the last two years, this time I drove from California to the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico. Highlights included seeing flamingos in Celestún above and jumping into Ik Kil cenote below, plus visiting many world heritage sites along the way. Look for my individual site reports and coming summaries, Pyramids of Mexico and Colonial Mexico.

Recent headlines and photos of several burning vehicles have inflamed fears of travel to Mexico. Many Americans have a bad attitude about Mexico, wrongly believing it is too dangerous to drive around, imagining bandaleros and corrupt police demanding bribes around every corner. Some Americans apparently enjoy horror stories about Mexico, while ignoring gun violence in the US. I have now driven to almost every state in Mexico without encountering any crime. I spoke with other foreigners who have been visiting Mexico annually for decades, and they also did not experience crime. This trip, I went through a couple of checkpoints and had my car searched once, exactly the same as in Texas.

Of course, there is serious crime and violence in Mexico. So are the statistics accurate or are the reports overblown? I had a long conversation with my Spanish teacher about some common stories. She thinks that in most cases American tourists are not worth the trouble for criminals, who prefer to prey on poor Mexicans whose cases might not be investigated as thoroughly. The corruption cases she heard about involved Americans who broke the law and were trying to evade responsibility by bribing police officers, which is obviously illegal. I’ve also heard this kind of story where Americans break traffic laws, especially driving under the influence of alcohol. Such behavior puts Mexican cops in a tough spot, where they don’t want to ruin someone’s vacation, but they have a job to do. So, be careful, avoid drugs, follow the law and in my experience, you will be fine.

If you’re driving from California, Tuscon is convenient for getting pesos and printing out car documents like your Mexican insurance policy. You need a hard copy of that, in case you have any trouble in a place without cell service. I found the small Santa Teresa border crossing very quick and easy for getting my TIP—temporary import permit to avoid paying taxes on my car at customs—, and I ended up recrossing the border at Laredo, in order to take advantage of Texas’ high speed highways. Laredo is a great place to get pesos and cross too, and there’s an interesting little history museum next to La Posada Hotel.

Since there is a 542 mile gap in the supercharger network between Veracruz and Campeche, I charged at my hotel overnight. That’s also necessary to get to Calakmul and Palenque and from Veracruz to Sierra Gorda, so I booked hotels with destination chargers, which are cheap and convenient for guests since slow charging is fine overnight.

However, you need to confirm with your hotel in advance that they both have a charger on site and that it is currently working. I arrived at my hotel in Palenque, which advertises “electric car charging on site”, but they laughed at me when I asked to use the car charger. So I had to spend a couple hours at the local Nissan dealer slow-charging for $11. After that, I checked with the rest of my hotels and changed my itinerary when I found two other hotels without working chargers. In another case, a third party charging site at an important stop for me went offline sometime after I departed the US, another unpleasant surprise for me. Off the supercharger network, you need to double-check and have a backup plan, with adapters and third party apps to find alternate charging. But if I can drive to the Yucatan and back, it can’t be that difficult.

National Parks to Visit in May

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See January, February, March, and April. May is a great month to visit many parks, especially river and forest parks that are full of life in spring. I recommend Congaree, Cuyahoga Valley, New River Gorge, Olympic and Yosemite.

Congaree is a great place to kayak, so high water may allow you to roam more. But May is also when the fireflies all blink together. Recreation.gov holds a lottery in early April for evening passes during the week long synchronous firefly event mid May.

Cuyahoga Valley is popular in May as the Brandywine Falls are awash and the trails are surrounded by spring greenery. I like biking there, and the tourist trains run a full schedule in May also taking bikes.

New River Gorge may be best in May as the wildflowers are out on the trails, the temperature is just right, and the river runs fast for rafting.

Olympic for me is all about the rainforest. Go early, wear good hiking boots, a thermal layer and rain gear, but try to visit Hoh Rainforest and hike the Hall of Mosses when it’s wet and green. Visiting the rainforest is a unique national park experience, unlike mountain hikes or beaches. The park is beautiful during the summer, but it gets very crowded at Hoh beginning Memorial Day weekend.

Yosemite’s waterfalls all flow strong in May, and Bridalveil, Sentinel and Yosemite Falls are spectacular at peak snowmelt. Wildflowers bloom on the valley trails, the temperature is pleasant during the day, and it’s not as crowded as summer. Glacier Point viewpoint usually opens to vehicles in May, earlier now that there’s less snow.

You may notice that my recommendations on when to visit are often a little earlier than common advice, and that’s usually to avoid crowds, to take advantage of planning and because the climate is changing. Planning ahead is particularly important for saving time and money, as a simple campground reservation made six months in advance can put you in the best possible location at the best time for $30. Summer used to be the best time to visit most national parks, but many parks are now too crowded and too hot in July and August. But stay tuned, because I’ve got more national parks recommendations coming on the first Friday of each month.

I need a new battery

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One time in Saskatchewan, I had to turn back when I realized I would not make my destination, due to the cold. The winter storm that buried my car the day before was still blowing arcticly, so I had been carefully watching my mileage. EV batteries must keep themselves warm, and regenerative braking is less efficient in cold weather. I still should have been fine, but the rural washboard road turned to mush in a sleet storm. (At the time, I didn’t know that my front struts were broken, thus causing friction on the insides of the front tires on bumpy roads). My range was dropping considerably faster than my miles passed, even as I slowed to a crawl.

So, I turned around and headed back—while still in range—to a charger I’d used recently. And then I took the long way around. I no longer have range anxiety; I have contingencies.

“It may be taken for granted that, rash as the Americans are, when they are prudent there is good reason for it.”

— by Jules Verne in Around the World in 80 Days

This was a wake up call that my battery just doesn’t have the range it did when I started four years ago. Let’s face it, using up to six superchargers a day while crossing the continent repeatedly isn’t common use. Ever since I drove through clouds of locusts on a hot day in eastern Oregon, I’ve noticed the car struggles with heat. (I’ll have to get my radiator checked more thoroughly, too). And I’ve driven through all four major deserts in the contiguous US many times, including getting stuck in traffic south of Vegas mid-day in the summer. Extreme cold requires extra energy and slows charging, but it’s extreme heat that damages batteries in the long run.

For most folks, the decline in battery range wouldn’t matter, as it’s not quite bad enough to be covered under warranty. My Tesla 3LR can still drive further than most EVs (or RVs). But I’m going to the Yucatán, and there’s a gap in the supercharger network in Tabasco. So I need every mile of long range.

While supercharging on Route 66 above and consulting with Tow Mater—“average intelligence”—, I decided to get a new high voltage battery. TSK (TeslaService.LA) gave me a good price on a lightly used battery. Turns out that since most folks treat their batteries much better than I do, the collision repair shop has plenty of used high voltage batteries in stock. They did a great job, including a thorough cleaning and minor fixes, so, next stop, Mexico!

National Parks to Visit in April

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[Quick note: beginning next week, Thursday and Saturday posts are switching to Friday].

After January, February and March, here are my April recommendations: Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and the Petrified Forest. These high plateau parks are great to visit in April.

Bryce Canyon is spectacular in April with a chance of snow on the hoodoos. The best of Bryce is a horse or better a mule ride down into the canyon, and the park concessionaire starts riding tours on April 1. The canyon rim is around 8,500 feet, so late snow and leftover morning ice are quite possible. Except for a couple roads up to mountain peak lookout trails, the park opens for spring between the end of the first week and mid-April. If you are a serious hiker and want all the trails open, then I’d recommend the first half of October before the snow falls. Otherwise, I’d check the weather, wear a thermal layer and go in the second half of April, when wildlife and flowers are just emerging after a cold winter. May or September are also nice, as they are at most parks.

Canyonlands has good weather in April and has many different places to explore by bike, drive or hike. The roads and trails are often rough especially after rain, but there are wildflowers. Campgrounds require early reservations and background camping requires permits, gear and experience.

Capitol Reef has some excellent hiking in April ~65° F. There may be some rain, but that brings wildflowers. Some like visiting the orchards in fruit picking season, but I’d rather be biking here when the orchards are in bloom.

April has pleasant weather for taking photos of the Petrified Forest with wildflowers. Summer is too hot and winter is too cold. You need decent weather to hike around, and the contrast between the fossilized trees and living flowers is nice.

National Parks to Visit in March

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First Saturday of the month, so here are the three National Parks best visited in March. See January and February for more.

March is a tricky month for parks, as many parks are still in winter or are too cold and wet to enjoy. But in the west at higher elevation, spring comes earlier and a few parks are fairly dry year round. Arches, Joshua Tree and Pinnacles are my March park picks.

Let’s be honest, an enjoyable experience at Arches is all about parking. Ideally, you want to stop at each arch spot, hike a bit, take photos and then move on to the next. If it’s overly crowded, that can be difficult, even with timed entry or arriving at sunrise. Since it’s too hot in summer, the shoulder seasons are crowded. Winter is too cold, and slick rock trails are dangerous when there’s ice. The solution is March. Snow is rare, but it makes a better photo if you see any on or through an arch. Temperatures are fine, with most daytime highs in the 70° F range. There will still be plenty of people, but not nearly as many as Spring Break. Sure, fall is fine too, but you could say that about most of the parks.

Joshua Tree is a great spot for hiking and camping, but the campgrounds are mostly at ~4,000 feet. So winter is uncomfortable, and as the park is in the Colorado and Mojave deserts, summer is uncomfortable too. I prefer March, when you can see wildflowers. The trees and rocks are great, but it’s even better to find a pretty little flower unexpectedly blooming off some rough trail. Like Arches, the park is popular and crowded at Spring Break.

Pinnacles similarly is high, relatively dry, and has limited trail side parking, so I like March there before Spring Break. But there’s a special reason to go in March (or maybe October), as the entire Bear Gulch cave is open. My favorite part of Pinnacles are the caves, but due to bats raising their young, many underground areas are off limits for months of the year. The weather is fine for hiking too, and you can see wildflowers.

Hope this series helps you plan your next national park adventure!

National Parks to Visit in January

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In case you want to visit all the National Parks in the contiguous US, this year I’m sharing my recommendations for 3-5 National Parks to visit each month. By the end of the year, you’ll have a full list of all 51 parks, evenly spread out over the different seasons with as few compromises as possible.

Since January is typically the coldest month, it makes sense to visit southern Florida, the only tropical climate in the continental US. That means Biscayne, the Dry Tortugas and the Everglades. These are beautiful parks for enjoying snorkeling, beaches and nature outdoors, so January is a great month for avoiding the hot, humid weather with afternoon thunderstorms that would bother you much of the rest of the year.

Hurricane season is lengthening, and now some tropical storms form in May before the official season of June through November. I visited the Dry Tortugas in May with an eye on the weather, and I was lucky. Some see sea turtles up close, but I was not lucky. Nesting beaches are often off-limits, and the water visibility wasn’t as clear for snorkeling as it would be in January. If you want to see the turtles, take the short, low altitude seaplane out to the Dry Tortugas, and you will see them swimming all year long.

Sometimes a winter storm will bring winds down to the keys with cold snaps in the 50s, but they don’t last. Many places that rent snorkel gear will have various wetsuits to keep you comfortable, if needed, but the water temperature usually stays above 70° F. Day highs are around 75° F, and most evenings are very mild.

Since the Everglades are dry in January, wildlife tends to concentrate around reliable water sources, making them easier to spot. Birding is best in January, as many migratory birds are in the park, and large charismatic birds like roseate spoonbills and wood storks are laying eggs. And there are few mosquitoes in January.

Weather makes a big difference in how much we enjoy our park visits, so—despite the high season costs—, I recommend visiting these three tropical parks in January, when most other parks are cold, closed and difficult to access. Plan ahead, be flexible on where to stay, and be efficient with your time to save money. But enjoy your time on a tropical beach or amongst the mangroves while others are home shoveling snow.

Resolutions

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In 2022, I posted my first park visit (now updated), and by year end had visited over 250 parks across the country by EV. ✓

In 2023, I completed all NPS units in the Mid-Atlantic, National Capital, Rocky Mountain, and Southwest regions. ✓

In 2024, I resolved to visit all 10 American Concentration Camps, go to world heritage sites in Canada and Mexico, and complete the Midwest and North Atlantic regions. ✓

In 2025, I resolved to complete all 51 national parks, 344 park units, and 113 related sites in the contiguous 48 states with 6 regional bests and 48 photo summaries, plus see more world heritage sites and biospheres in Canada and Mexico. ✓

For 2026, I resolve to complete all UNESCO sites in half of Canada’s provinces, make a third road trip to Mexico, find even more national monuments and recreation areas in the US, and drive to southeast Alaska. Logistical challenges and new site designations may thwart my plans, but I will do my best.

Weekly Monday posts will continue to be a new visit. Thursdays will still be sporadic summaries and viewpoints. The first Saturday of each month will be park recommendations. And mid-month on Saturdays I will highlight a climate issue. Hope you have a happy New Year!