Have you ever wanted to visit all of our National Parks, but needed inspiration first? Or perhaps you're in the process of exploring all 63, and need a journal to keep notes? 

Enter The National Parks Bucket List: The Ultimate Adventure Journal for all 63 Parks by Linda Mohammad, published by Quarto.

I LOVE THIS JOURNAL. 

Here's why...

The fonts! OH MY GOODNESS! 

The art is incredibly beautiful. It's a mix of classic old school and vibrant, enticing colors. We all want to be in those landscapes!

And the travel tips are just what we readers need when we are travel planning. There is space (as journals do) for visit details, hikes and views, flora and fauna, and my favorite part: take nothing but memories. 

This beautiful journal is just what visitors to our extraordinary national parks need: a keepsake, a travel planner, a book of art, and a space for cherished memories.

Highly recommended!

Linda Mohammad is a national park lover who is a self-proclaimed weekend warrior. Originally born and raised in Malaysia, she migrated to the United States to pursue her college education. Her passion for traveling stemmed from her college days when she would have to vacate her dorm room during school breaks. Fast forward to today, Linda is an engineer working in the energy industry. Known as The Bucket List Traveler, who journals her way through the parks and documents her visits, trip planning and list-making are her forte. On the weekends, she can be found exploring some of our many national parks across the country. To date, she has crossed off all of the 63 big national parks in the US as well as more than halfway through the 420+ national park units that are currently managed by the National Park Service. Her favorite national park is the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona because geology rocks!

We were lucky enough to catch up with Mohammad, and ask her about the book, inspiration, tips and favorite National Park stories, art, how best to use this journal, and more. Here's what she had to say...

Please tell us about your new book, The National Parks Bucket List...
The National Parks Bucket List journal serves both as a quick guide to inspire a visit to the park, as well as a keepsake where you can jot in your park's plan and journal about your trip. For each of the 63 national parks here in the U.S., I share some of my best tips and tricks for an enjoyable visit based on my personal experience from my very own national parks bucket list journey. 

What inspired you to create this journal about our 63 National Parks?
It's something that I wish I had before I started my national parks bucket list journey back in 2016. Something with a quick intro on the park to pique my interest before I fully commit to the planning process, along with some space to write the critical info on my visit (reservation info) and thoughts on the park itself during or after my visit. And the stamps! Let's not forget about having a dedicated space to systematically collect the "passport stamp" that is available at the park's visitor center.

A deeper inspiration for me to create this journal is to share more about the national parks and my journey to all the big 63 national parks. It is an attainable bucket list, and a very rewarding one given all the places the parks will take you to across America. 

I loved your top tips at the end; do you have a favorite National Park story to share?
Whew - tough question since I have way too many from over the years. One of my favorites would be experiencing Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park during the active volcano eruptions. First time was shared with my national park buddy Mary where we rode the bicycle to Kalapana to view lava flowing into the ocean. We biked there in the late afternoon and waited until after dark (witnessing the orange lava glowing as they flowed into the sea was so surreal) before making our way back to the parking lot. It was quite the experience biking in the dark, but was well worth it.

The second time was fairly recent last year when I visited the park with my husband and mom-in-law. We didn't make it to the park until Day 3 of our trip and I remember being so uptight worrying about if the eruption would stop at any moment before we got there (very likely to happen where the eruption could stop without notice for months). When we finally made it to the Kīlauea caldera after walking the one-mile trail to the viewing area before sunrise, I remember hearing the reactions from my husband and mom-in-law. Pure amazement and joy, to be witnessing something so magnificent and so rare where a combination of timing and luck would have to take place for one to experience the magic of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes and fire, believed to be the creator of the Hawaiian islands.  

Your specific travel tips, as well as journal space with prompts, is such a lovely thing to read (and experience). How can readers get the most out of using your journal?
Great question! As much as I love guide books and other available independent resources online, combining the park planning using my book and referring to the official national park websites would be my recommendation. Things change often and quickly at the park based on weather, visitation, current events and closures so it is pertinent to get the latest information before heading out on the trip to avoid frustrations or surprises.

And here's a little secret, I did write a lot more about each park beyond what got included in the journal and I will be sharing those info on my website soon at www.thebucketlisttraveler.com. Check back later this year and I'll be all ears to hear which park the readers would be interested for me to have it featured next!

What's up next for you?
Love this question. Bucket list wise, I'm more than halfway through to all the 400+ National Park Service sites across the country, and it is my life long goal to be able to experience these parks beyond the big 63 designated national parks. It'll be at a slower rate given the immense number of parks, but it's definitely on my radar. I've also started exploring national parks in my home country Malaysia, which has been quite the learning process from the planning aspect all the way to experiencing the parks themselves. Looking forward to do more of that once the newest Junior Ranger in town (currently in utero) makes her appearance this summer!

How can people find your work?
Happy to share that following the National Parks Bucket List journal book, I have a second book coming out this Fall entitled National Parks Uncovered: An Epic Resource for Park Lovers and Anyone Obsessed with America's Best Idea! This book is filled with stories and anecdotes from both park rangers and park lovers who share the best insights on how to experience the 63 designated national parks here in the U.S. as well as the highlights of each park, from popular attractions to little-known favorites, accompanied by photos of the stunning landscapes. Aside from the books, I'm often found on Instagram (@thebucketlisttraveler) sharing park trips and life stories in hope to inspire folks to live their bucket list life now rather than waiting for sometime later that may or may not happen.