On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act creating the National Park Service (NPS), a new federal bureau in the Department of the Interior responsible for protecting the 35 national parks and monuments then managed by the department and those yet to be established (now there are 408 national parks!).

To celebrate the upcoming centennial of NPS in 2016, the National Park Foundation (NPF) launched their Find Your Park campaign to encourage everyone to get up, get out there and #FindYourPark – no matter your interest. To celebrate NPS’ 99th birthday on August 25, 2015 and get ready for NPS’ big 100th birthday next year. Founders’ Day also marks fee free day to all national parks.

99 Ways to Find Your National Park

1. Explore a cave
2. Take a photo that matches a historic one #retrogram
3. Relax on the banks of a scenic river
4. Go climbing
5. Be an urban hiker
6. Dance
7. Write poetry
8. Visit a National Heritage Area
9. Discover a culture new to you
10. Experience silence
11. Learn about climate change
12. Hug a tree
13. Find inspiration in the story of a civil rights leader
14. Walk through a doorway of a historic house
15. Go on a ranger-led tour #rangerspointingatthings
16. Earn a Jr. Ranger badge
17. Make a memory
18. Celebrate innovation
19. Get inspired by a First Lady
20. Paddle a water trail
21. Channel your inner Bill Nye — become a citizen scientist
22. Find your park in Spanish #encuentratuparque
23. Make art in a park
24. Go green
25. Find life in a desert
26. Scout a park, boys and girls!
27. Celebrate Native American heritage
28. Take a picnic and dine al fresco
29. Enlighten yourself at a historic lighthouse
30. Explore Asian American and Pacific Islander culture in America
31. Be bear aware
32. Come sail away
33. Go biking
34. Feel the sand between your toes
35. Learn about endangered species
36. Follow NPS on social media
37. Hit the road
38. Walk a historic main street
39. Follow the footsteps of a woman who made history
40. Get VIP status
41. Hit record
42. Get “reel” by visiting a park featured in your favorite movie
43. Join a trail clean-up
44. Share your story
45. Brush up your national park trivia skills
46. Join them
47. Discover a traditional tribal cultural practice
48. See the sea
49. Mail a postcard
50. Use your free active military pass
51. Discover history around you
52. Let Elmo and Murray be your guides
53. Raft down a river
54. Stand on a mountaintop
55. Pay your respects at a national cemetery
56. Get in the know about H2O
57. Make new friends
58. Take a mini-cruise
59. Walk nature’s treadmill
60. Plan ahead and prepare
61. Reflect on our most difficult stories
62. Ride on a historic carousel
63. Pick a POTUS
64. Go fishing
65. Make a splash
66. Discover the beauty of our nation’s other public lands
67. Run
68. Stamp your park passport
69. Share a #tbt park photo
70. Visit our international sisters
71. Trash Your Trash
72. Get prehistoric
73. Bring a kid to a park
74. Catch a wave
75. Try something new
76. Improve your health — get a park Rx
77. Pose for a family photo in a park
78. Recognize women who made history
79. Renew your spirit
80. See history from a different perspective
81. Immerse yourself in a living history program
82. Bee pollinator friendly
83. Plan the best field trip ever
84. Find a monument and decode history
85. See how NPS helps transform your community
86. Sleep outside
87. See the starry, starry night
88. Use the buddy system!
89. Watch wildlife
90. Play
91. Spread the love — thank a park volunteer
92. Use a national park lesson plan
93. Go wild: Experience wilderness
94. Take a deep breath
95. Wander an American battlefield
96. Take a sunrise selfie
97. Travel the Underground Railroad
98. Visit for free on their 99th birthday
99. Get ready to celebrate with them in 2016!

Find Your Park: Mary Lambert