The following partners are working hard to preserve and protect parks, educate the public about the value of nature and the importance of being healthy and active in the outdoors. Thanks to them for making Explore Your Parks available nationwide!

Let's Move Outside

Let’s Move! is an initiative launched by Michelle Obama dedicated to solving the problem of childhood obesity, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let’s Move! is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. The program is helping children become more physically active by encouraging movement and outdoor play. It also gives parents helpful information to support healthy choices and create an active environment. It provides healthier foods in schools and ensures that every family has access to healthy, affordable food. Let's Move Outside encourages kids to sign up for the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award to help track their progress. For more info: www.presidentschallenge.org.

National Park Trust

National Park Trust (NPT) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide recreational and educational parkland opportunities for current and future generations. The NPT recognizes that Americans are spending more time indoors and successive generations are growing up with less of a connection to nature. To help reverse that trend, NPT builds greater awareness and appreciation for the importance of our country’s public lands and parks. The NPT’s vision is that ‘everyone will have an American park experience.' To achieve this, they champion the acquisition and preservation of critical national, state and local parklands and build a greater awareness through education - focusing on our youth, especially those that are underserved.

American Hiking Society

For the past 30 years, American Hiking Society has worked vigorously on behalf of the nation’s trails and all the hikers who enjoy them. American Hiking Society works with Congress and federal agencies to shape public policy and legislation affecting the hiking experience. Our efforts ensure funding for hiking trails, the preservation of natural areas and the protection of the hiking experience. American Hiking Society organizes and coordinates Volunteer Vacations and National Trails Day® – nationally recognized programs that help keep our trails open, safe and enjoyable. American Hiking Society also organizes events to help educate the public about the importance of trails.

Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace is an educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people enjoy the outdoors responsibly and become active stewards of outdoor areas worldwide. Leave No Trace believes that education is the best means to protect natural lands from recreational impacts while helping maintain access for recreation and enjoyment; they advocate ethical guidelines for enjoying your time in nature in a responsible way that ensures the health of public lands for future generations.

California State Parks

California Department of Parks and Recreation manages more than 270 park units which contain the most diverse collection of natural, cultural, and recreational resources to be found within California. The parks reflect every ecosystem found throughout the state—from beaches to desert, ancient forests and alpine peaks. California State Parks’ mission is to provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state's extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation.

Colorado State Parks

Colorado State Parks manages 42 parks statewide, ranging from the plains to reservoirs to the mountains that make this state famous. In the mission statement of Colorado State Parks, “the stewardship of Colorado’s natural resources” is one of the highest priorities. Visitors are encouraged to learn all about the state’s natural resources and join in efforts to preserve and enjoy the public lands and natural resources for future generations.

Maryland State Parks

Maryland has 66 state parks full of recreation opportunities ranging from nature walks to biking, boating, camping, kayaking, historical adventures and more! The mission of the Maryland Park Service is to manage the natural, cultural, historical and recreational resources to provide the best use for the benefit of people. Maryland residents and officials have worked hard to preserve public lands for everyone to enjoy—today, tomorrow and for generations to come.

Massachusetts State Parks

Massachusetts State Parks offers dozens of places to escape and enjoy the outdoors, with hundreds of miles of trails, camping opportunities, boating, swimming, mountain biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, picnicking, skiing, golfing, historical sites, educational programs and more. In addition, Massachusetts State Parks is dedicated to providing outdoor recreation opportunities in Massachusetts State Parks for visitors of all abilities. Many parks are easily accessible via public transportation as well.

New York State Parks

From the shores of Long Island to the mighty Niagara Falls, New York's 178 state parks offer countless opportunities to explore your natural environment, escape from the grind of the everyday and experience exciting new adventures. Beaches, boat launches, hiking trails, campsites, and golf courses all await. Many of the parks are accessible via public transportation as well, so you can explore nature on a moment’s notice.

Oregon State Parks

The mission of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is to provide and protect outstanding natural, scenic, cultural, historic and recreational sites for the enjoyment and education of present and future generations. Oregon's state parks are among the most popular in the U.S: their combined day-use and camping attendance of 39.6 million visitors (2001) consistently ranks the system among the ten most visited in the nation.

Virginia State Parks

Virginia State Parks has 35 parks and thousands of campsites, hundreds of cabins, more than 500 miles of trails and convenient access to Virginia’s major waterways. Beaches, picnic shelters, family lodges, meeting facilities, festivals, concerts, nature programs, cultural happenings… the list goes on and on. From Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, there’s something for everyone at Virginia State Parks. Whether you’re after a relaxing picnic or a two-week vacation, leave life’s daily pressures behind and reconnect with nature and your family at a nearby state park.