National Geographic Complete National Parks of the United States: 400+ Parks, Monuments, Battlefields, Historic Sites, Scenic Trails, Recreation Areas, and Seashores

by Mel White

National Geographic’s wide-ranging travel guide to recreation areas, trails, historic sites, nature hikes, seashores, camping, and campgrounds is geared to everyone who loves outdoor recreation. This 544-page reference is the ultimate travel planner for all things national parks, filled with full-color photos, detailed maps, historical background, and practical facts on the location of the park system properties, as well as the best times to visit and top-rated activities.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Nature, Photography, Environment, Guides

560 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book was a Goodreads giveaway. Parks and photos are arranged by region and include a brief summary of each. This book made me want to visit many, many parks and is a great resource. While it isn't a book to sit and read it is one to sit and dream.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be one of the only people who actually read guidebooks like this, but I confess, I mostly skipped the numerous battlefields as that's not my thing. But if you want a book with an overview of all the National parks, monuments, sites, etc., this is a great choice. Some only have a paragraph, but when you think that one historic site is literally a room in a house, a paragraph is often enough.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book with lots of entries (divided by regions of the country and a few things outside of the country) and colorful pictures. This book covers more than the National Parks of the US. It also looks at Preserves and Reserves, Seashores and Lakeshores, National Memorials, National and Memorial Parkways, National Scenic Rivers, Rivers and Wild & Scenic Rivers and Riverways, Monuments, National Recreation Areas, Historic and Scenic Trails, Battlefields, Battlefield Parks, Battlefield Sites and Military Parks, Historical Parks, Historical Reserves, Historic Sites and International Historic Sites, as well as other designations affiliated areas.

Each entry includes a website, contact info. and activities to see and do. There is also a brief description (sometimes 1/3 pg., sometimes a couple of pages about each park / place).

While there is a map of each region at the beginning of each section, there is no map that shows the location of each place in relation to the rest of the state for each entry. I believe this is a flaw in the book.

[Eric Cardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book and yes, I read it in it's entirety. As someone who has dreams about visiting all 63 national parks (currently at 15), this book was very informative and helpful in deciding when are the best times of year to visit, how many days should be spent at each one, and which ones I should tackle next.

[Suzanne Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only negative for this book is that there was not a picture for every park. The would have made it a 3000 page book though, so is understandable. This would be a good one to buy and write notes in to keep track of where you have been, or to use to get initial ideas on where to visit next.

[Cosette]

Ok. I only read the Pennsylvania section - 17 entries for the entire state. 6 I've already visited. 3 I've walked past. Literally. No, wait. 4. Making some plans now!

[Logan Gallagher]

Mel White's nonfiction book, titled Complete National Parks Of The United States, talks about all the state parks in the United States.



This book is sectioned into regions and talks about every National park from big to small. This book also is broken into states so that you can really understand where these parks are located. Each Park has an at-a-glance section on the bottom that tells you things like how big the park is, what seasons the touring is available, and more. Some of the state parks have pictures of what a small part of the park looks like.


I really liked this book because it informs you a lot about all the National Parks in the United States. Each of the descriptions for the parks really goes into detail and talks a lot about it. I also like this book because I didn't know that there were this many state parks in certain states. The last reason I like this book is because it tells me what parks I want to visit later in life. Some things that stood out to me as a reader is that I was surprised how many parks there were and another thing that stood out to me is the at-a-glance section and the way the parks are described.


I would recommend this book to readers who like to tour a lot and like to learn about places in the United States. This book is a long book with 549 pages of parks, so this book will take longer to read.

[Melissa (Nissa_the.bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
⛰️ love the mountains
🚙 like to travel
🥾 enjoy hiking
⛺️ want to discover more campgrounds

• 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄

This book is full of amazing National parks located all across America!

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Have you ever wondered what secret beauties were hiding in your state? With this guide of all the amazing National parks in America, now you’ll always find it easy to choose your next destination! With plenty of information and loads of pictures, you’ll be itching to get in your car for your next hiking/camping/sightseeing adventure! Just don’t forget this handy guide!

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This is such a great research for anyone who loves traveling and seeing the world. And you don’t even have to go far. Every state in America is hiding a little something fun, some more than others of course! This book would make a great gift for anyone who loves to explore. It has plenty of information about the different locations and what makes them fascinating and unique.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book details over 400 parks, monuments, battlefields, historical sites, scenic trails, and other beautiful areas to explore across the United States.

It’s broken down by region and state which makes it easy to navigate. I through it was very informative and the maps they included were great.

It’s so amazing to see all the beautiful parks and monuments there are to explore. I do wish there were more pictures but understand that to cover 400+ locations in 500 pages that sacrifices had to be made.

I almost missed this part on the back cover but I love how every purchase helps support National Geographic society as they “work to protect and illuminate our world”. 🌎

My parents have an RV and want to travel the country so will definitely be getting them a copy.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great reference book, a strong starting point in the early stages of trip planning. It has a small amount of historical info and bare-bones data on most parks, many with maps and photos. A national parks encyclopedia, of sorts. Unfortunately, it’s not a travel guide— lodging, restaurants, tours, and sample itineraries are not included, with a few exceptions— so for that I took off one star.

[Jacqui H. Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting for a travel book that encompassed ALL the national park properties, not just the 61 National Parks, and this is it. Also includes the national monuments, historic sites, battlefield sites, volcanic sites, seashores, national trails and hiking trails.
Wonderful descriptions of all places to aid in plotting your trips; however, does not include any information on lodging, dining, or shopping.

[Sarah Dressler · Rating 5 out of 5]

My tribe is over here reminiscing about our favorite parks from our past road trips and planning our next adventures!

I highly recommend this guide. It literally lists ALL the parks.. not just the major ones, but those minor amazing off-the-beaten-path gems we love to discover. Worth it!

[Amanda Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm honestly such a national park junkie that I've sat and read this book cover to cover. I've been to 19 national parks so far and I've used this book to plan every one of my trips. This book is super useful and informative. Love it! 10/10

[Sarah Ewald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't exactly have this edition, but one similar (mine has a different picture on the cover). You can never read this completely, but rather I keep mine as a reference book to look at when I read a travel book and want to reference the park. I love this book.

[Danielle Mintzlaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The person the wrote this has a great sense of humor.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous, photos and informative descriptions… Includes lots of lesser-known, historic sites and monuments.

[Karrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun way to dream up our next trip to a national park.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy a national parks book with good pictures. Gleaned some new information from this one to help me plan my next trips.

[Camie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful cover but not very user friendly.

[Sydney Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd Edition

[Dray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional.

[Abby Epplett]

Book was removed from my read shelf. Unclear why.

[norcalgal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great primer on all of the National Parks, but that's just what it is - a primer. I wish it had been more detailed, exploring the background and history of each park, but I suppose this would have turned into a series, rather than a one-off.

Also, I suppose it's only natural, but the "stars" of the national park system - such as Yosemite or Yellowstone get more coverage than small, lesser known parks. Too bad, because imo, the "stars" already have enough of the spotlight shone on them through many other media (film, documentaries, park specific books, etc.), whereas the little gems need to be highlighted more so they can receive the appreciation they deserve.

Still, if you want to get your feet wet and see which park is worth exploring, this book hopefully, gives enough tantalizing information to make you want to learn more and as the National Parks Service slogan says, "Go Find Your Park".

[Chesterfield Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

My family and I start every American road trip with this great guide to National Parks. Using it we've discovered and visited the Pawtucket Canal and factories in Lowell, Mass, starting point of the great American industrial age distribution system; the New Bedford Whaling Museum; Stone Cottage (Elinor Roosevelt); Fire Island; Women's Rights National Park; Selma to Montgomery Freedom Trail; Wright Brothers National Park ... and the list goes on. This is a great guide to use if you're going on a road trip -- say to New Orleans as we once did -- and want to plan stops at historic places each day of the drive. The photography in the book is from Nat Geo so of course it's a lovely book. The book literally dedicates half a page to each park so don't expect meaty details or anything on lodging, eating or travel tips. What it is an excellent starting atlas to understanding and choosing sites to see along one's way.

[Blakely · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book with photos and information on all 400+ of our National Parks, Memorials, Monuments, National Seashores, National Trails, etc. Since it is covering all 400 locations the information on most places is short. But it's enough basic information to allow you to determine if you want to learn more.

I originally checked this out of the library to see what it was like but ended up buying it as it seems like a good reference. Sadly, Rupert Murdoch has purchased National Geographic so I bought a used copy so that I wouldn't be funding his agenda.

[Cassey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have been using this guide to the National Parks and absolutely love it! My friend Laura and I took a trip in a Escape Campervan from LA to Death Valley and onward to Mt. Zion, Bryce Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Sedona Arizona, and Joshua Tree. We used this guide the entire route and read about the places as we arrived to visit them. It helped us plan our route and even allowed us to stop at a few NPS Monuments we would not have known about. I continue to use this guide on my quest to explore the National Parks.

[Josh Liller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Until I read this book I didn't realize just how big the National Park Service is, but an awareness of that ignorance was precisely why I picked this book up. There are lots of nice photos interspersed throughout and some maps are included, mostly for the larger parks.

With over 400 properties covered in a little over 500 pages, many properties only get a half page of coverage. The larger and more popular parks get more coverage. The maps are nice, but I found them too small.

Very useful as an introduction, but it felt like it could be improved in many ways.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't resist this encyclopedic survey of National Parks when I saw it at the library. It gives basic information about each park, monument, trail, etc. There are more than I knew existed. It is surprisingly hard to glean all of this information from the Internet. I needed to see it in book form. Plus, I love maps. The National Geographic photographs are gorgeous. It makes me want to plan a long road trip.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the National Parks, and this book has been great to have around to get my National Park fix at those times when I only have a short amount of time for reading. I often picked it up and read about a park or two while eating breakfast, or right before going to bed, for example. It's comprehensive and long, and with fairly small text it is packed with interesting information. Definitely not a book to be read quickly from cover to cover, but taken a bit at a time it was a great experience.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now have the first, second and third editions of this book, and I have noticed that in the newest addition, they have emboldened the fonts on the names of the sites, they have reduced the size of the color photos, and they have removed the descriptions of “affiliated” places. There are new units listed in the third edition that aren’t listed in the second edition.