Sam Gennawey, a former urban planner and theme park historian, describes the National Park Service (NPS) as “one of the great wonders of America,” likening it to a meticulously curated museum that showcases singular examples of the nation’s most breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and culturally significant landscapes. The parks are categorized into three types—Nature, History, and Recreation—and within these categories are themes that unify and define their core values.
Gennawey focuses on the Nature Parks (encompassing volcanoes, geology, vignettes of primitive America, caves, deserts, and fossils), exploring the landscapes and the architecture that frames them. From the rustic “Parkitecture” lodges of the early 20th century, built of local stone and timber to blend harmoniously with the environment, to the streamlined modern visitor centers that reflect new ideas of access and stewardship, these structures embody the evolving identity of the parks. Gennawey, author of Sacred Landscapes: One Van Lifer's Six-Year, 175,000-Mile National Park Journey, offers his unique perspective on landscape storytelling, his experience visiting nearly 390 parks, and his insight as a longtime NPS volunteer.
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