Sixteen-month-old Aarya Sharma has already explored 34 national parks as her family pursues a Guinness World Records milestone while promoting a love for nature
An Indian-origin toddler living in the United States is on course to become the youngest person to visit all 63 US National Parks, with her family hoping to complete the journey within the next two years.
Sixteen-month-old Aarya Sharma, from Schaumburg, Illinois, has already visited 34 national parks alongside her parents, Akshay Sharma and Aparajita Rai. The family is documenting the journey as part of an application to Guinness World Records, which is expected to verify the attempt through its standard assessment process.
The idea of pursuing the record emerged unexpectedly after a park ranger noticed that Aarya had already visited around 15 national parks at an unusually young age. Encouraged by the suggestion, her parents decided to extend their family travels into a record attempt.
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The current benchmark is held by a child from Texas who completed visits to all 63 US national parks at the age of three in 2023
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If Aarya completes the challenge before then, she would set a new world record
Her parents say the primary goal is not the record itself but to introduce their daughter to nature from an early age. They believe frequent exposure to forests, waterfalls, mountains and wildlife will help her develop a lifelong appreciation for the environment.
The family, both software professionals, typically plans trips around weekends and holidays and shares updates from their travels on social media. Travelling with a toddler requires detailed planning and flexibility, they acknowledge, but they say Aarya has shown a genuine enthusiasm for outdoor adventures.
With more than half of the parks already completed, the family is preparing for the next phase of the journey, including visits to parks in Alaska, as they move closer to achieving a unique world record while inspiring other families to explore nature together.
