From Schaumburg to the Sierras: The 16-Month-Old Racing to See Every National Park

A young family from Illinois is turning cross-country road trips into a historic quest, aiming to make their daughter the youngest person to visit every U.S. national park.

Most parents at the park are just trying to keep their toddlers from eating dirt, but Akshay Sharma and Aprajita Rai are busy checking off the 63 crown jewels of the American wilderness. Their daughter, Aarya, is only 16 months old, yet she has already stood amidst the spray of Yosemite waterfalls and explored the vast landscapes of 34 national parks. The family, based in Schaumburg, is now locked into an ambitious, high-speed itinerary to visit every single national park in the country, a feat that may land them a world record.

The journey began as a simple desire to share the outdoors with their child, but a chance encounter with a park ranger changed everything. Upon learning how many parks the family had visited in just a few months, the ranger remarked that such a feat for a child was unheard of. That casual observation transformed a series of weekend getaways into a mission. The family now documents their aarya family national parks travel journey on Instagram under the handle @eternalvoyager1001, capturing the milestones of a toddler who is growing up in the wild.

The Logistics of a Toddler-Led Expedition

Traveling with a toddler is rarely a linear path. For Sharma and Rai, both of whom work in the tech industry, the travel requires a high degree of flexibility. The couple plans their trips around long weekends, often booking on short notice to accommodate Aarya’s temperament. If the youngest traveler of the group isn't having a good day, the itinerary changes. As her mother notes, they’ve learned that children are far more resilient than adults often give them credit for, though success hinges on aligning the pace of the park with the needs of a 16-month-old.

The family is currently gearing up for a significant push: a trip to Alaska intended to knock seven more locations off their list. While Aarya cannot yet articulate the history or scale of these national sites, her parents observe that she is deeply engaged by the sights and sounds of nature. Whether it is the rustle of leaves or the roar of a waterfall, they believe these early experiences are cultivating a lifelong appreciation for the environment.

Why it matters

The Chicago family’s quest highlights a growing trend of "adventure parenting," where the traditional boundaries of family leisure are being pushed further than ever. Beyond the potential for a record, their story reflects a broader shift in how modern families view early childhood development. By choosing to prioritize immersive, outdoor experiences over the comforts of home, they are effectively betting that exposure to diverse ecosystems will shape Aarya’s worldview long before she has the vocabulary to describe it. It is a reminder that the "everyday" is what we define it to be, and for this family, that definition involves a passport-like collection of junior ranger badges and thousands of miles on the road.