As travelers begin summer pilgrimages to America’s cherished national parks, we at Off the Beaten Path take the opportunity to acknowledge the phenomenal work of our partner, National Parks Conservation Association. NPCA has worked fiercely and tirelessly on behalf of national parklands since 1919. In celebration of their centennial year, the organization posted a collection of stories reporting some of their successes and challenges from “A Century of Impact.”
From its earliest days, NPCA has introduced the public to the splendor of America’s national parks and celebrated their capacity to teach — and even to transform — all of us.
“The Greatest Waterwheel of the Tuolumne” from The Book of the National Parks
In the summer of 1916, the United States had 14 national parks and 21 national monuments — and while their oversight fell to the Department of the Interior, there still was no centralized agency dedicated to their management.
The men who would go on to found NPCA, Stephen Mather and Robert Sterling Yard, had been feverishly campaigning for the creation of a unified National Park Service for 18 months — from Mather’s famous “mountain party” of influentials exulting in the grandeur of the parks to Yard’s numerous articles extolling their educational and economic value to the nation.
Sequoia National Park, location of Mather’s Mountain Party
What finally tipped the balance was “The National Parks Portfolio,” a lavishly produced tome that paired Yard’s effusive prose with stunning photographs of parks such as Glacier, Yellowstone, Crater Lake, and Grand Canyon, giving many Americans their first glimpse of the wondrous public lands they shared.
In his foreword, Mather wrote:
This Nation is richer in natural scenery of the first order than any other nation; but it does not know it. It possesses an empire of grandeur and beauty which it scarcely has heard of. It owns the most inspiring playgrounds and the best equipped nature schools in the world and is serenely ignorant of the fact. In its national parks it has neglected, because it has quite overlooked, an economic asset of incalculable value.
The first printing of “The National Parks Portfolio” exceeded a quarter-million books, and Mather made sure that a copy found its way to the desk of every member of Congress. Before the summer’s end, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act of 1916 into law, establishing the National Park Service.
But that was only part of the vision Mather and Yard shared for the nation’s parks. From the beginning, they knew that public lands would need an informed and inspired public to protect them, an independent voice free from political or commercial interests.
• Published the award-winning National Parks magazine since 1942
• Reimagined the WPA-era See America campaign for the digital age through an innovative collaboration with Creative Action Network
• Shared more than a thousand supporter stories showing why parks matter through our award-winning My Park Story website
• Partnered with PBS to host “Feel Free: A National Parks Celebration” in Central Park in conjunction with Ken Burns’ national park documentary film
• Published books including the NPCA Guides to National Parks series and “America’s National Parks: An Insider’s Guide to Unforgettable Places and Experiences”
• Established awards named for Stephen Mather, Robin Winks, William Penn Mott and Marjory Stoneman Douglas to acknowledge and honor park champions
• Partnered with Rock the Parks/Litton Entertainment on educational programming promoting park advocacy
and
• Celebrated national parks and their protectors at the annual Salute to the Parks Gala since 1982
Glacier National Park
With 1.3 million members and supporters beside us, we are the voice of America’s national parks, working to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations.
Learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing our national parks, then use your voice to advocate on their behalf.
“I’ve always only seen nature through a camera, like on TV, so being out here in nature is different. You get to experience it firsthand.” — Esther Acosta, Mojave Star Party participant
Off the Beaten Path is honored to be in partnership with NPCA to help people experience the parks in meaningful, memorable—and fun!—ways.
OBP offers fully guided Small Group Adventures and Private Custom Journeys to the parks. Browse our website for National Park trips, including journeys to Yellowstone, Glacier, Denali, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Zion National Parks, as well as many, many more.
That web listing includes both scheduled Small Group Adventure departures and suggested Custom Journey itineraries. If you don’t see the perfect-for-you Custom Journey, we can plan one from scratch, based on your interests, desires, and needs. Contact a Travel Advisor for more information on OBP’s national parks travel opportunities.
See where you can go with Off the Beaten Path! Request your free journeys catalog today.
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