Collecting Memories, One National Park At A Time

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.

National parks are not for the young and restless. They’re for the curious. And curiosity does not expire when you’re in your 60s or 70s.  When BigDog talks about Denali or Mount Rushmore, it’s not about bragging rights. It’s about standing somewhere iconic and saying, “We made it here.”

At this stage of life, that means something different. It means we chose to go. The Passport Book is more than collecting stamps. It’s shows that we made it we did it. So, we always stop at the visitor center first.

Not because we’re rule followers. Because we want the stamp. There’s something almost childlike about pressing that ink onto the page and seeing the date next to the park name. It’s not just ink. It’s proof of memory. Proof that we were there. Proof that at 67 and 77, we are still collecting experiences instead of shrinking our world.

How do we do National Parks now? We don’t hike ten miles anymore. We don’t need to.

Here’s how we approach a park: Visitor center first (stamp the book). Talk to the rangers. Scenic drives. Short walks. Benches with a view. We sit, look, breathe and we let the scale of things remind us how small our worries are.

National parks at this age are less about adrenaline and more about perspective. And honestly? That feels richer.

The Luna trailer is what makes this sustainable. We camp nearby. Sometimes we dry camp under quiet skies. Sometimes we choose an RV park for hookups and long showers.

We wake up early, make coffee outside, we move at our own pace, and we don’t rush the day. That’s the gift of practical travel. At 67 and 77, practicality isn’t boring. It’s freedom.

Denali and Mount Rushmore are the two I really want to visit. The ones I see in books and think, someday.  Well, someday is now. There are 63 major national parks. We’ve stamped five. That might sound small. But to us, it sounds like beginning. And beginning at this age is powerful.

If you’re reading this and thinking, that sounds like too much, let me just say. You don’t have to climb every trail. You don’t have to rough it, you don’t have to prove you’re young, you just must be willing.

You can take the scenic routes, visit the ranger station, sit at overlooks and watch wildlife from a distance. National parks don’t require youth. They require presence. And presence is something we get better at with age.

To ensure that we are prepared for our trip, we try to keep it simple and manageable.  Here’s is a sampling of things that may be useful:

• Passport to Your National Parks book
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Lightweight folding camp chairs
• Insulated travel mugs
• Binoculars for wildlife
• A simple park guidebook
• Leveling blocks for uneven campsites

We don’t overpack, we don’t overdo, we choose sustainable adventure. Because sustainable means we get to keep going.

BigDog talking about national parks like a kid might be my favorite thing. There is something beautiful about watching someone in their late 70s still light up about what’s next. At 67, I feel that too.

We are not done yet, remember five stamps down. A lifetime of parks ahead. And every time that ink hits the page, it says the same thing, still curious.