62 Parks Traveler

62 Parks Traveler started with a simple goal: to visit every U.S. national park in one year. Avid backpacker and public lands nerd Emily Pennington saved up, built out a tiny van to travel and live in, and hit the road. The parks as we know them are rapidly changing, and she wanted to see them before it’s too late.

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Emily Pennington is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, California. She’s written for Backpacker Magazine, Adventure Journal, REI, Mountain Life Magazine, and dozens of websites like Lonely Planet, Territory Supply, The Outbound, and Modern Hiker, to name a few. She considers it her mission to get more women and girls into the outdoors. When she’s not hunched over her laptop or touring the country in her van, you can usually find her sleeping in the dirt all over the Sierra Nevada.

Archive

Campsite view at Lower Paintbrush Canyon

Grand Teton Is a Hiker's Park

With more than 200 miles of trails, there's a lot to explore in this iconic Wyoming attraction. It's our 62 Parks Traveler's 25th stop on her journey to visit every U.S. national park.

Emily Pennington
Nov 23, 2020
The author hiking Centennial Trail

Visiting Sacred Ground at Wind Cave National Park

Our 62 Parks Traveler explores miles of hiking trails and one of the largest remaining mixed-grass prairie ecosystems in the country at South Dakota's Wind Cave, the 21st stop on her journey to visit every U.S. national park.

Emily Pennington
Oct 12, 2020
Cliff Palace

Travel Back in Time at Mesa Verde

Explore the dwellings and terrain of the Ancestral Pueblo people at this western Colorado park. It's our 62 Parks Traveler's 20th stop on her journey to visit every U.S. national park.

Emily Pennington
Sep 27, 2020