Toddler Has Visited All 63 U.S. National Parks
Aarya Sharma, a Schaumburg toddler, completed visits to every U.S. national park by age 19 months.
Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in National Parks
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A Schaumburg resident, Aarya Sharma, visited all 63 U.S. national parks by the age of 19 months. The family concluded their ambitious journey at Acadia National Park in late September 2026.
Why it matters
The family undertook this quest to test if their pre-child travel lifestyle remained sustainable while sharing their passion for the outdoors with their daughter.
Aarya Sharma successfully visited all 63 U.S. national parks by 19 months of age, including a visit to 33 of them by June 2026. The journey began when she was just six weeks old.
The players
Aarya Sharma
She is the toddler from Schaumburg who became the youngest person to visit all 63 U.S. national parks.
Journey Castillo
She is a young traveler who previously completed visits to all 63 national parks by the age of three.
The details
Beginning at Gateway Arch in March 2025, the family focused on completing travel to all eight Alaska parks before tackling the remaining locations. The final leg of the trip included visits to Dry Tortugas, Big Bend, and Channel Islands before concluding the tour.
Timeline
The national park quest began at Gateway Arch in March 2025.
Aarya Sharma had visited 33 national parks by June 2026.
The family completed their visit to all 63 parks on September 30, 2026.
Travel Outlook
This achievement follows the precedent established by the record of Journey Castillo, who completed the same feat at age three in 2023. By accomplishing this at 19 months, the family has significantly shifted the threshold for such travel milestones.
Families looking to replicate similar travel feats should prioritize logistical planning for remote locations like the eight parks in Alaska. Success requires balancing a child's needs with the unique accessibility constraints found at each of the 63 protected sites.
The takeaway
The family plans to return to all the national parks again as Aarya grows older to create new memories. This journey highlights that adventurous travel can be maintained as a lifestyle even after starting a family.
Further reading
Learn more about the country's protected lands in our National Parks section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Herald.
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