U.S. National Park Service

It has been just over 3 years since I have been in the USA, and in this time I have come to realize that one of my favorite things about USA is the National Park Service. I have visited more than 15 national parks in various parts of the country, hiked across most of them, and marvelled at the things I saw. I have experienced snow-clad mountains, scorching deserts, canyons that have been shaped over millions of years, hot springs sitting on volcanoes, tiny streams, glacial lakes, and rivers with lush waterfalls. No 2 parks were the same and I have never felt underwhelmed at the end of each day.

Some of the reasons I love national parks are:

• The ease and accessibility to explore some of the most untouched parts of the world, be it mountains, rivers, deserts or forests.
• The way these parks are maintained (by NPS), supported by rangers, and the facilities (roads, water filling stations, restrooms, hotels, restaurants) that are created with minimal disturbance to the surrounding areas.
• The flexibility that allows me to decide how much time I spend in the park, from hours to days, and guides that help me do the same.
• The well-designed scenic drives that help showcase some of the popular sights in the park from the convenience of a car.
• The detailed and charted maps for hikes that ensure a safe trip in the park.
• The rewards, in the form of never-seen-before landscapes that make every drop of sweat on difficult hikes worthwhile.

Onto getting my US NPS Passport stamped at every remaining NPS location .