SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Sept. 5, 2024 – PRLog — Last month, Darryl and Kathleen Toupkin, long time residents of Arizona, reached the finish line of their journey to visit all of the national park units in the United States. This included visiting all 63 National Parks, plus all other units administered by the National Park Service. There are 19 naming designations, including national parks as well as monuments, memorials, battlefields and military parks, scenic rivers and lakeshores, parkways, national trails, national recreation areas, and preserves.
The Toupkin’s goal was to visit all 430 units. They reached this goal just a few weeks ago by going to visit St. Croix Island International Historic Site at the easternmost point of the contiguous United States, in Calais, Maine. This national park unit is unique in that it is administered jointly by the US and Canada, and a fitting end for Darryl and Kathleen, since Kathleen is originally from Canada (but now a US citizen.)
Their journey has taken them to every corner of the United States and each state in between, plus Alaska, Hawaii and every inhabited US territory – American Samoa, Guam / CNMI, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Over a hundred thousand miles of driving, plus a hundred thousand more flying in commercial jets as well as helicopters and tiny seaplanes. Not to mention thousands of miles of hiking, walking, paddling, rafting, bicycling and seemingly every mode of transportation!
It’s been quite an adventure. One that started almost 37 years ago when they visited their first national park unit together. That was Mesa Verde National Park in New Mexico. Over the years they visited a number of other parks, but it wasn’t until they began traveling with their puppies and a tent trailer back in 2004 that they really started to go out of their way to visit national park units. After that, for many years they went back east each summer to visit family, so would plan the trip specifically to visit national park units in the states they traversed. Often this involved serious detours – think of driving from Phoenix to Buffalo, by way of Montana!!!
You may ask why have they done this? Kathleen jokes: “Never give my husband a list!” 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. Sure, it is a bit out of the way to get to the Hubbell Trading Post in northeastern Arizona or to Fort Bowie east of Willcox, but both of them are super interesting and capture a unique part of this country’s history.
That’s what the national park service preserves – not just natural treasures like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite – but also our history. Ask Kathleen what her favorite national park units are and she will be quick to tell you about Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Richmond, Virginia and George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Vincennes, Indiana. Both of these capture truly inspirational stories. Born to slaves, Walker became the first black woman to establish and become president of a bank in the United States. And without the leadership and courage of George Rogers Clark in 1779, much of the northeastern frontier may have remained in British control.
Ask Darryl what his favorite national park unit is and he will say Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve in Alaska. It is so remote and difficult to get to that this is the least visited national park unit. But so worth the effort – a truly memorable journey.
Over the course of their quest, the Toupkin’s have gathered a lifetime of stories and love sharing them with others. They regularly present at local libraries and schools, and write about the various parks on their blog: NationalParkUnits.com Their contact information is there, and if you have questions about how you might plan your national park journey, they are always happy to help. If they can inspire anyone to visit and experience what our national park units have to offer, they will consider their time well spent.
One last question you may have – why does this say that the Toupkin’s “achieved the unachievable”?
They met this goal in August, but, just one week before visiting number 430, the government announced one more – the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument in Illinois. Fortunately the Toupkin’s had visited this memorial years ago, but it is a great example of how the national park service continues to grow and protect our heritage.
The Toupkin’s welcome this and appreciate everything that the national park service and their partners do. They look forward to continuing their journey, revisiting old favorites and visiting new national park units as they arise.
Contact Information
Darryl Toupkin
602 284 1765
darryl@fieldworksevents.com
www:nationalparkunits.com
pictures available upon request..