On March 1, 1872, Congress established Yellowstone National Park in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming "as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" and placed it "under exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior."  And in August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act creating the National Park Service, a new federal bureau in the Department of the Interior responsible for protecting national parks and monuments then managed by the department and those yet to be established. The national park system now covers more than 84 million acres.

There are currently 418 National Park Service (NPS) properties, called “units.” The more common colloquial term is “parks,” but NPS properties include so much more, including: 
11 National Battlefields
4 National Battlefield Parks
1 National Battlefield Site
9 National Military Parks
51 National Historical Parks
78 National Historic Sites
1 International Historic Site
4 National Lakeshores
30 National Memorials
88 National Monuments
59 National Parks
4 National Parkways
19 National Preserves
2 National Reserves
18 National Recreation Areas
5 National Rivers
10 National Wild and Scenic Rivers and Riverways
3 National Scenic Trails
10 National Seashores; and MORE!! 
The all-inclusive list is available here. Not all are eligible for the Tour of Honor NPT ride.

To assist you in finding these parks and learning more about how our freedoms came about, the Tour of Honor offers the opportunity to earn a special certificate – MASTER TRAVELER AWARD – awarded by the Iron Butt Association when you successfully complete the challenge of the Tour of Honor National Park Tour (TOH NPT). Visit at least 50 NPS properties from the list of selected NPS sites in no less than 25 states between April 1 and October 31 on your motorcycle. Collect the NPS passport stamps at each location and photograph your flag, bike and NPS property on-site sign.

A spreadsheet, identifying the sites which are eligible for the TOH NPT, as well as information on each site, is available here. A GPX file is located here. These are the only NPS sites eligible for the TOH NPT. The NPS has many more properties and parks, but only those listed on the spreadsheet are eligible for the TOH NPT.

The National Park Service is the gatekeeper for all information on any/all NPS properties. It is your responsibility to confirm with NPS any information about the parks prior to planning a TOH NPT route, or setting out to ride a TOH NPT. The NPS occasionally changes hours of operation and even the locations of Visitors Centers, so consider this spreadsheet merely an example of the information available. You are responsible for your own ride, so verify the information with the NPS prior to setting out on your ride. Yes, the Visitors Center has to be open in order for you to obtain the NPS passport stamp, adding a new twist to route planning!

The route plan is up to you. The rules for completing a TOH NPT are available here.

To further get you in the mood, click on the image below:

Mt. Rushmore photo: Cynthia Brooks.

TOH NPT concept and scoring: Joe Yarzebinski. Contact Joe with any questions at [email protected]

 *The number of TOH-eligible sites is subject to change.