Last updated: May 28, 2024
Article
101 Ways to Explore Nature

NPS Photo / M. Reed
On August 25, 2017, the National Park Service will turn 101! Celebrate and explore nature in one (or more!) of these 101 ways.
- Find Your Park – There are over 400 national park units to choose from, where will you visit?
- Go hiking
- Sleep under the stars at one of 130 campgrounds in national park units
- Go climbing
- Hit the trail on your bike
- Observe the world around you, watch wildlife in any season
- Learn about the stars at a night sky program
- Take a deep breath in nature (ahh, fresh air!)
- Enjoy the view from home – check out the NPS Air Quality webcams and get current air quality information
- Sink your toes in the sand at one of the ocean parks
- Earn a badge in one of the Junior Ranger programs
- #FindYourWay and float down a wild and scenic river
- Have a picnic and be sure to store your food properly!
- Go on a ranger led tour, see if you can spot #RangersPointingAtThings
- Bring a kid to a park – thanks to the Every Kid in a Park program, 4th graders get free admission to national parks
- Explore biodiversity in parks
- Bee pollinator friendly, plant a pollinator garden
- Discover the secret lives of bats
- Learn about an endangered species
- Lay down and watch the clouds roll by
- Visit a park with bears
- Be bear aware
- Create art in a park
- Watch an episode of Outside Science (inside parks)
- Explore the seashore with these seashore activities

NPS Photo
- Go fishing
- Boost your mood with a Park Prescription... Simply spend time outside!
- Browse the Explore Nature photo gallery on Flickr
- Rummage through a scientist’s desk
- Explore a cave
- Make your own cave at home
- Learn about America’s Natural Wonders – the National Natural Landmarks
- Hug a tree! Examine the bark, how does it feel and smell?
- Discover what’s beneath the surface of the ocean
- Dive into a park and learn about submerged resouces
- Find bison at home on the range
- Find evidence of an ancient life with Fossils and Paleontology
- Explore America’s geologic legacy
- Explore science in parks at Research Learning Centers
- Go paddleboarding on a lake
- Go water skiing
- Learn about your favorite wild animal
- Learn about the different ocean habitats
- Experience a natural phenomena
- Experience the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017
- Celebrate our geological heritage on National Fossil Day
- Go for a bike ride in your neighborhood, notice the weather
- Strike a pose in a park! Share your photos with us using #ParkPose
- Take a photo in a park that matches a historic one, use hashtag #retrogram and #tbt
- Plan a field trip to a national park

NPS Photo / M. Reed
- Take an urban hike through a city park
- Go tubing on a scenic river
- Visit one of the famous trees in national parks
- Follow a journey of Science at Sea in the Gulf of Mexico
- Get a senior park pass
- Find a career in science
- Get up to speed on nature news
- Become a volunteer
- Become an artist in residence
- Travel a trail by horseback
- Take a closer look – examine the petals of a flower
- Watch a video and get your eye on science
- Explore a national heritage area
- Take Instagram-worthy photos like a pro with these quick tips
- Go on a nature photo scavenger hunt
- Build your own compass to help you get around
- Go birding, check out these helpful tips for beginners
- Host a "bativity" to learn more about bats
- Watch the sunrise
- Watch the sunset
- Get some vitamin sea – go surfing!
- Take a photo at the same place in a park at all 4 seasons, notice the changes.
- Go kayaking or canoeing
- Go boating
- See fish up close – go snorkeling or diving!

NPS Photo
- Go on a bug hunt in your backyard – what kind of insects can you find?
- Discover the different types of ocean life
- Travel through geologic time online
- See the power of tectonic plates
- Learn about different land surfaces and park landforms
- Get immersed in caves and karst with these children’s books
- Dig into prehistoric paleontology and learn about fossils in parks
- Geology is extreme! See a list of highest, deepest, and widest geologic formations in parks
- Find a conservation internship program with Scientists in Parks
- Experience your America everyday by working with the NPS
- Go dog sledding
- Go snowmobiling
- Go snoeshoeing
- Stargaze
- Explore natural sounds from home in the sound gallery
- Listen closely – enhance your soundscape with these listening tips
- Learn the 7 ways to safely watch wildlife
- Watch wildlife from home
- Camp in your backyard
- Visit a park and keep a journal about what you experience
- Tell a friend about your favorite national park experience, inspire them to visit!
- Draw a picture of your favorite place outdoors
- Visit Explore Nature online
- Be a friend to nature. Like Explore Nature on Facebook
- Tweet! Follow Explore Nature on Twitter
- InstaLike! Follow Explore Nature on Instagram