- Aarya Sharma aims to visit all 63 US National Parks by age three
- She has already explored 34 parks with her parents from Illinois
- The family is working with Guinness World Records to verify progress
At just 16 months old, Aarya Sharma from Schaumburg, Illinois, is on a remarkable journey to become the youngest person ever to visit all 63 US National Parks. Accompanied by her parents, Akshay Sharma and Aparajita Rai, Aarya has already explored 34 national parks - more than halfway to her goal. The family hopes to complete the challenge within the next two years and is working with Guinness World Records to document and verify the attempt.
The idea of attempting the record wasn't part of the family's original plan. According to People, it was a park ranger who suggested the possibility after the family had already visited 15 national parks. The current record is held by Journey, a child from Texas who completed visits to all 63 national parks at the age of three in October 2023. If successful, Aarya would become the youngest person to achieve the feat.
"We thought that we could introduce her to nature and all the national parks, but we never thought that it would result in a record or something like that. On the suggestion of the ranger, we said, ‘Why not? Let's go for it," Akshay told People.
A Toddler Who Loves the Outdoors
Aarya's parents say she has a natural love for nature and enjoys every opportunity to explore the outdoors. "I think most babies are very curious little beings. They get intrigued by small things, whether it's wind blowing through leaves, listening to waterfalls, or feeling the mist of the water on their face," her mother, Aparajita Rai, said.
"She was in Yosemite National Park, and there was this waterfall, and we were sitting in front of the waterfall, and I could see her being completely lost, in a good way, like kind of fully soaking it in and enjoying the moment," she added.
The family regularly shares their adventures on Instagram through the account @eternalvoyager1001, documenting Aarya's experiences across America's national parks.
"We want her to understand different landscapes and just be cognizant of the fact that these are treasures that you need to save for future generations. She's really too young to understand all that stuff, but if we take her more out in nature, she will develop love and care for nature," Aparajita said.
Traveling With a Toddler Isn't Always Easy
While the family's travels may look effortless on social media, Aparajita says exploring the country with a toddler requires careful planning and, above all, flexibility.
"If she's the one who is not really enjoying it, it's almost a torture," she said. "It requires so much planning, so your child has to really enjoy the same things as you do to continue it."
"We are trying to utilize our time in the best possible way, so we get to have family time with our child," she continued.
Both Akshay and Aparajita work as software professionals and often plan trips around long weekends, sometimes booking them at short notice. The family's next destination is Alaska, where they hope to visit seven of the state's remote national parks, bringing Aarya one step closer to her record-breaking goal.
