While most of us memorialize our national park adventures with photographs, a great companion to those images are your thoughts, and Stefanie Payne has given us much room to record those thoughts in The National Parks Journal, Plan & Record Your Trips To The US National Parks.

Despite having made park visits regular events during the past 40 years, I'm continually forgetting something -- either something I had intended to take on a park trek, or something I wanted to do while out in a park. Payne's gift is a journal that allows us to not only record special moments we experience in the parks, but room to write down things we definitely want to take with us. After my recent visit to Grand Teton National Park for some sea kayaking, I wrote in "contact lenses" and checked the "deck of cards" box for things to remember for future visits.

Payne opens the book with some basic National Park System history, such as: When the US National Park Service was formed in 1916, there had been no effort like it before. Its construct would go on to serve as a global footprint of how to shape comprehensive conservation efforts on a large scale, propelling ecotourism while safeguarding precious features that serve as a source of pride in countries all over the world.

And while she also lists the different categories to be found in the park system -- national parks, national monuments, national preserves, national scenic trails, national rivers, national lakeshores and seashores, etc., etc., etc. -- the true value of this small hardcover book are the pages for journaling.

As I mentioned, there's a section to keep track of what you want to pack, everything from electronics (don't forget your phone's and camera's charging cords and extra memory cards for your camera) to clothing, outdoor gear, and park-specific items (your guidebook or hiking map to Grand Teton, for instance). There's also a section to record your visit to a park, areas where you can note your favorite location, favorite photo, best wildlife sighting, biggest challenge you faced and more. You can even jot down tips you'd pass on to others heading to a specific park you visited.

There's a checklist for things you want to do when you reach your park -- Junior Ranger programs for the kids, ranger-led night walks, cultural and historical aspects stops -- and room to note the contact information for that outfitter you retained for a boat trip or photography class, a reminder to pick up your backcountry permit, and emergency contacts. 

Payne also provides us with a state-by-state listing of national p[arks, with checkboxes and room to note when you visited a park.

For a second edition, I'd recommend a digital version and, on the printed journal, room to ink your park stamp.

Of course, if you're on a mission to visit all 423 units (as of June 2022) of the National Park System, you'll need to pick up a couple of these journals, at least, as a single copy won't provide enough room.