CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Ohio — It’s a big accomplishment to travel to every U. S. National Park. It’s even more rare to visit every unit within the National Park System. But Tom Martin from Springfield, Ohio has been to every single one of them, and then some.
There are 423 units in the U.S. National Park System. There are 11 national battlefields, four national battlefield parks, one national battlefield site, nine national military parks, 61 national historical parks, 74 national historic sites, one international historic site, three national lakeshores, 31 national memorials, 84 national monuments, 63 national parks, four national parkways, 19 national preserves, two national reserves, 18 national recreational areas, four national rivers, 10 national wild and scenic rivers and riverways, three national scenic trails, 10 national seashores and 11 more listed as other designations.
Martin has found adventure at every single one of them.
Tom Martin.
“Before I started on the national parks, I was doing the highest point in every state. Came close. I was not able to summit on Denali, so I’ve done 49.8,” he said.
Martin’s outdoor pursuits began in the 1960s alongside his then-girlfriend, Helen. In June, they’ll celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary.
“She’s a trooper. She’s a hiker. I mean, it was really one of the attractions she had for me in terms of getting married.”
Helen and Tom.
The two built a family.
“And then kids came along so as they came along, we would take them out into nature.“
It wasn’t just his children Martin was teaching. His passion for the outdoors extended into his career as a university professor.
“I was able to teach rock climbing as part of my workload, teach canoeing as part of my load. It doesn’t get much better than that,” he said.
Martin said the greatest adventure is always what lies ahead so he has a hard time pinpointing a favorite National Park Unit.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
“It’s not just the physical. It’s also the mental, in a way the spiritual, the soul, the heart, how you feel. I mean, my goodness, look around right now,” he said as he hiked through Ohio’s own Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Martin documents all of his travels through his blog. For more information, visit TomHelenMartinBlog.com.
Helen and Tom.
