WALK THE PARKS
20,000 Miles, 47 National Parks, 2 Feet, 1 Dream
WHAT
Walk The Parks is a route connecting all 47 National Parks in the lower 48 via human power. Most of this human power will be accomplished by hiking, with some cycling where there are limited trails to follow. The route is over 20,000 miles and will be completed continuously.
WHO
Blake Robinson is Walk The Parks. Constantly smiling, high-energy, a huge lover of the outdoors and life in general. Blake feels most at home when in nature, and tries to go there any time he can. After completing his MBA, receiving a Student of the Year award from faculty, his first wilderness experience involved a 2,200 mile Southbound thru hike of the Appalachian Trail, with a 70 pound pack! Since that glorious life-changing hike, Blake has thru hiked the Colorado Trail, hiked large portions of the Continental Divide Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, skied over 1,000 days in and around Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado, explored Nepal, thru hiked the Northville-Lake Placid Trail, completed the Collegiate loop with all 12 14er summits, completed a bike tour visiting National Parks in Arizona and southern Utah in July/August, and completed 100’s of shorter trips. With Blake’s overwhelming passion for adventure and challenge in life, Walk The Parks is the next natural step.
WHEN
Walk The Parks will start in late July, 2017 in Yellowstone National Park. The route is expected to take approximately 3 years to complete. Walk The Parks will be completed in as continuous a fashion as is possible.
WHERE
The exact Walk The Parks route is quite long-winded but will essentially hit all four corners of the US from Wyoming to Texas to Key West to Maine to Washington to California and so much in between with as much hiking as possible and some cycling. This route may be modified based on conditions at any time. If you have any more detailed questions, e-mail walktheparks@gmail.com or comment somewhere and I'll get back to you!
First, a hike will be completed connecting 15 National Parks in WY, CO, UT, NV, and AZ via a series of designated trails and connecting roads including the Continental Divide Trail, American Discovery Trail, Kokopelli Trail, and more. In Saguaro, AZ, Blake will switch to a bicycle and ride through the southern US, exploring quite a few National Parks on the way to Key West, FL to explore the 3 parks in Southern Florida. Next, switching back to foot travel, a near complete Thru-Hike of the Appalachian Trail to Acadia, Maine, then a near complete thru hike of the North Country Trail, a 4,600 mile trail from the VT/NY border to the middle of North Dakota. The 2nd winter will be experienced here on trail and challenges will be great. A made up route in North and South Dakota will lead to Badlands and Wind Cave National Parks. From there, timing is critical due to geography and weather, and there are several possible route variants. As much hiking will be completed as possible, and the route will include the Pacific Northwest Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Hot Springs Trail, Bigfoot Trail, and more. Then I’ll have to figure out what’s next!
WHY
Why can always be a difficult question on journeys like this, but there are several goals of Walk The Parks:
1. Completing a continuous route connecting all 47 National Parks in the lower 48 via human power. (There will be some exceptions to this like getting to Dry Tortugas, Isle Royale, and Channel Islands a boat shuttle will be used and crossing the Macinac bridge I’ll take the required shuttle)
2. Documenting the journey with journal entries, photos, and videos and sharing when service is available via website and social media platforms.
3. Connecting with communities along the way in any way possible. Blake’s infectious enthusiasm and positivity must be shared! The message: chasing your dreams, embracing positivity, getting outside, and enjoying nature. Attempts will be made to connect with news outlets, organizations, and schools along the entire journey. Question and Answer sessions, age-specific lesson plans, and more. Additionally, Blake will encourage community members to come out and hike a bit with him, meet him at trailheads, get a tour of a town, business, or building, and more. This will be carefully balanced with continually making progress on the route and the logistical challenges presented by this goal.
4. Creating a full length documentary titled “Faith in Humanity.” Blake is sure to meet amazing people all along the route. There’s so much positivity and hope in the world, that it must be shared. A documentary will be created post-trip to demonstrate this.
WALK THE PARKS
20,000 Miles, 47 National Parks, 2 Feet, 1 Dream