Since I completed my national park road trip in June of 2017, I haven’t been aggressively keeping up with news regarding our nation’s park service. To be honest, most of my energy has been upward and onward, focusing on outdoor education and travels abroad. It was to my great surprise when I realized that America now officially has 61 national parks, 49 of which are in the contiguous United States.

If you’ve been with me from the beginning, you’ll recall that I successfully attempted to visit 47 parks in 47 weeks, launching this blog as a way for readers to follow my journey. Since the consummation of this trip, I have continued my pilgrimage to other fantastic outdoor areas, places as close as five miles from my house (Backyard Magic) as far as the other side of the globe (South Africa).

When Gateway Arch and Indiana Dunes cropped up on my radar, I figured it was time to pay a special tribute to them, honoring their place among the greats and determining a potential visit in the near future.

Gateway Arch National Park

• Status changed from Memorial to Park on February 22, 2018
• Located in St Louis, Missouri
• My thoughts
  • This looks like a very nature-less park. The arch and related museum appear to be the big-ticket items. I’m interested in checking this off the list, but probably won’t make a trip out here just to spend a day indoors

Indiana Dunes National Park

• Status changed from Lakeshore to Park on February 15, 2019
• Located in Porter, Indiana, along Lake Michigan and east of Chicago
• My thoughts
  • This area looks quite pretty, and probably would be a fun three-day visit in warmer weather. I drove right through this area on my way from Voyageurs to Cuyahoga towards the end of my national park circuit.

Looks like I need to plan another mini-adventure! My passport is in dire need of stamps from the Midwest.

* If you’ve visited either of these places and would like to contribute your thoughts, please leave a comment.