Family’s 11-Year Quest to Visit All U.S. National Parks Turns Into Reality

Family trips usually start small. A long drive. Snacks in the back seat. Maybe some music to set the mood. Most families aim for a beach, a theme park, or a quick weekend escape. Few imagine turning those trips into a decade-long mission that reshapes how they travel and how they connect.

For the Fields family, travel was never about flashy hotels or big spending. It was about piling into the car, picking a direction, and seeing what the country had to offer. Over the course of 11 years, those ordinary family trips evolved into something rare. They visited all 63 U.S. National Parks and learned that the miles between destinations mattered just as much as the places themselves.

The Trip That Started It All

Trip Advisory / The idea began in 2014 after a visit to Yellowstone National Park. Jason and Cindy Fields bought a Christmas ornament to remember the trip.

It felt small at the time. One souvenir. One park. One good memory. That ornament quietly planted the seed for something bigger.

Back home, the ornament went on the tree, sparking a thought. What if they collected one from every park they visited? Over time, that thought turned into a family goal. Cindy later called it their travel tree. Each ornament marked a place, a season of life, and a shared story. The kids, Jordan and Janna, grew up watching that collection grow along with them.

How They Made Big Travel Affordable

The Fields family never treated travel like a luxury. They treated it like a habit. Jason often pushed back on the idea that adventure requires a passport or a big budget. He believed you could spend your whole life exploring the United States and still see something new every time you go.

Whenever it made sense, they drove. Skipping flights saved money and added freedom. Nights were spent under canvas, in modest cabins, or in low-cost motels that did the job. Some adventures fit neatly into a long weekend; others require discipline and months of planning. They weren’t chasing a finish line. Taking it slow—one park, one trip at a time—kept the journey enjoyable instead of exhausting.

Some memories feel almost cinematic. In 2025, watching lava pour from Kilauea left the family quiet and still. Coming face to face with a grizzly bear did the same. Other memories are lighter and just as meaningful—Jason doing headstands at park signs to get a laugh, Janna documenting the road-trip chaos on TikTok, capturing moments that were imperfect, funny, and unmistakably theirs.

Finishing the Goal and Starting a New One

E News / The final parks were some of the hardest to reach. Alaska tested their patience and planning skills.

Remote locations, weather challenges, and long travel days pushed the family in new ways. In the summer of 2025, they finally checked off the last park on their list.

The journey came full circle at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a place that symbolized how far they had come. The goal was complete, but the curiosity remained. Almost immediately, the family set their sights on a new challenge. Visiting the Seven Wonders of the World now sits at the top of their list.

It is essential to note here that the Fields family never tried to do everything at once. That was the secret. Jordan keeps the advice simple. Start. Plan one trip. Then plan the next. Cindy agrees. She believes the hardest part is taking the first step and trusting that the rest will follow.