Parksmaxxing: The Ultimate Guide to America’s Parks
Category: National Park Sites
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There’s a certain type of American who has been to Disney World 3 times and Yellowstone zero. There’s another kind who drove to the Grand Canyon, took a picture of the South Rim, and left. And then there’s the parksmaxxer – someone who shows up at a unit of the National Park System, that nobody’s…
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Big Thicket National Preserve is a heavily forested, 113,000-acre National Park Site across nine land units and six water corridors. Scientists have called it “the biological crossroads of North America”. It covers where eastern hardwood forests, Gulf Coast wetlands, pine savannas, and prairie ecosystems converge, creating one of the most biologically diverse landscapes in North…
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Waco Mammoth National Monument preserves the remains of a Columbian mammoth nursery herd that lived roughly 68,000 years ago. Visitors can see fossils still in the ground where they were discovered, making this one of the most unique National Park Service sites in Texas. We visited in November of 2025. This guide covers tours, fees,…
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Fort Sumter is one of the most historically significant sites in the United States and one of the most popular National Park Service destinations in South Carolina. Few National Park Sites are as jampacked with history as this one is, with the backdrop of a beautiful east coast harbor. We did both forts at Fort…
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Congaree National Park is a national park experience that feels like the opposite of Yellowstone and Yosemite. We visited this floodplain in August of 2025 during the peak of the heat and mosquito season and had a great time. This complete guide will share everything you need to know to make the most of one…
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Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial preserves the Indiana farm where Abraham Lincoln spent 14 of his most formative years. In the tiny community of Lincoln City, Indiana, this park combines a working pioneer farm, hiking trails, historic sites, and the grave of Abraham Lincoln’s mother into one of the most family-friendly National Park Service sites in…
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George Rogers Clark National Historical Park preserves the site of one of the most important American victories of the Revolutionary War. Located in Vincennes, Indiana, the park honors George Rogers Clark and his successful 1779 campaign to capture Fort Sackville, a victory that helped secure the Northwest Territory for the United States. Most Americans have…
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Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park preserves the two Kentucky farms where Abraham Lincoln spent the first seven years of his life. Located near Hodgenville, Kentucky, the park includes Lincoln’s birthplace at Sinking Spring Farm and his boyhood home at Knob Creek. We visited this NPS site in May 2026 and saw both the Birthplace…
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We visited Mammoth Cave in May 2026 and completed the Historic Tour, Domes & Dripstones Tour, Great Onyx Lantern Tour, and Green River Bluff Trail. Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the world’s longest known cave system, with more than 400 mapped miles of underground passages. During our 1.5-day visit, we completed three cave…
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Our Trip To Cesar Chavez National Monument A Note for 2026 Visitors: In March 2026, The New York Times published an investigative report with allegations of sexual abuse against Cesar Chavez. As a result, California lawmakers withdrew legislation to expand the monument, and its future remains uncertain. As of April 2026, the monument remains open,…
