Arizona couple visits all 431 National Parks, celebrating an adventure that began in the 1980s

PHOENIX - Darryl and Kathleen Toumpkin, longtime Arizona residents, have reached a major milestone by visiting all 431 National Park units across the U.S.

It's a journey that started in the 1980s. 

"We did a westward camping trip with our dogs and we went up to Nevada and California for a seven-week trip, and we started hitting national parks when we went up to the Redwoods," said Darryl.

They began traveling with their puppies and a tent trailer back in 2004 and that's when the ball really got rolling. 

Journeys have taken them all over the U.S., Puerto Rico and even the Virgin Islands. 

(Photo courtesy Darryl and Kathleen Toupkin)

(Photo courtesy of Darryl and Kathleen Toupkin)

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"I always say that once we have gone to a few, and we started going to a few more, we made the mistake of making a list. And I'll say never give my husband a list because once you have a list, you have to get to everything on the list," Kathleen said. 

Taking the couple over 20 years to complete, you may think, why do this? 

They say it's a great way to explore the country and stumble upon places you may have never considered visiting.

"I do have my favorites, but honestly, it's really the next park that you go visit in my book is my favorite, because you never know what you're going to come across," Darryl said. 

Over 100,000 miles of driving, flying, even helicopter and tiny seaplanes later, the husband and wife say it's been an adventure of a lifetime starting almost 37 years ago. 

"People think of, you know Yellowstone, Yosemite and forests and woods and Acadia, but really, if you look at all the National Park units there's a bunch that are national battlefields, there's wild scenic rivers, there's national sea shores," said Kathleen. 

And one they can check off the bucket list once and for all.