This week the National Park Service celebrated their 106th birthday. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the National Park Service (NPS). At the time there was already 35 established national parks and monuments. And now there are over 400 places you can visit that are managed by the National Park Service. Every experience in a park is unique, and while everyone recognizes iconic parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite, there are hundreds more that should be on your list. A little trip planning can ensure that your only surprises are happy ones. Want to know how to plan like a park ranger? Here’s some insider tips from NPS rangers: Don’t miss the good stuff. With more than 400 parks across all 50 states, we love discovering places not as well known that offer the beauty of nature and the power of history—only with fewer crowds and lines. Make a plan, and a backup plan. Flexibility and a backup plan can be key to any park adventure. In case of changing weather conditions, road closures, etc. Use the NPS App. Our app is very cool. It offers great tools like interactive maps, tours, accessibility information, and more. Have a reservation. Many campgrounds and lodges in and around well-known parks book up quickly during peak seasons. Keep safety in the picture. We love to take photos. But we like surviving the experience too. Be careful to take pics where it is safe. Ask us. Have a question? Ask a ranger. We’re always here to help. Native Land Acknowledgement from the NPS, “Our National Parks have a long and storied human history. It doesn’t start in 1916 with the creation of the National Park Service. For more than 10,000 years, ancestral Native American people have called these lands their homelands. We recognize the long history of the lands and the connections that indigenous peoples have to these places today.”