DIG DEEPER Discovering the Variety of America’s National Parks

America’s national parks have seen a boom in visitation over the past 12 months or so, with hordes of Americans finally realizing, “Hey, this country is stuffed full of incredible sites that I should really go see.”

Across the United States, there are 423 National Park Service sites; 63 are designated as National Parks, while the rest run the gamut from National Seashore to National Battlefield, and everything in between. And they haven’t gone unnoticed by the travelers, wanderers, and adventurers who’ve been cloistered by the shutdown of international borders for much of the past 18 months. The wanderlust-inflicted have been seeking out adventure much closer to home—and loving it.

Now, most of us have heard the stories of masses of people cramming into the parks in recent times, and you might fear that you’ll be crowded out before you even arrive, languishing in your van in a parking-lot line, and shuffling shoulder-to-shoulder with other travelers along hiking trails. I spoke with Kathy Kupper