‘Nature first’: Schaumburg toddler aiming to be youngest to see all 63 U.S. national parks

At only 16 months old, Aarya Sharma of Schaumburg and her parents are on a quest to visit all 63 U.S. national parks and possibly a Guinness World Record along the way.

The family is aiming for Aarya to complete the goal by next year, making her the youngest person to do so.

It all started with a March 2025 trip to Gateway Arch in St. Louis when Aarya was barely six weeks old. She’s since accompanied her father, Akshay Sharma, and mother, Aparajita Rai, to 32 more national parks across 10 states.

The trio recently returned from a 13-park road trip and are planning to set off again in July.

Aarya’s parents have watched their daughter grow more comfortable with nature — looking at and chasing birds, touching trees and interacting enthusiastically with other hikers they meet on the trails.

Though Akshay knows his daughter won’t vividly remember every detail of her travels, she’ll be able to look back in five to 10 years on what they were able to accomplish together.

“She’ll think nothing in this world is impossible,” he said.

Akshay and Aparajita met at work 12 years ago and bonded over their shared love of travel. Now, they find themselves raising their daughter in an era when screen time often takes priority in childhood.

“We are totally into nature and want her to understand nature first,” Akshay said.

Aparajita said she hears from other moms how drawn to routine and uncomfortable with change children can become. But that hasn’t been Aarya’s story.

“Her adaptability to be so comfortable out there with people shows me she’s enjoying it a lot,” Aparajita said. “Seeing her face light up at Grand Teton. She was amazed! She looked so tiny in front of those majestic mountains.”

The time frame to reach the goal might have been shortened but for the international destinations like the Dominican Republic, Iceland, Bahrain and Qatar that have been thrown into the mix and documented on Akshay’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

It was the suggestion of a park ranger that made them consider the possibility of a Guinness World Record for National Park visits.

Both parents are originally from India and believe the U.S. is doing a fantastic job of maintaining its national parks. They found such a specific goal worthy of their time.

“Our goal has never been to break records, but rather to celebrate family travel, outdoor learning and the importance of connecting children with nature,” Akshay said.

They hope their endeavor will inspire others to follow suit.

“We hope our journey encourages other families to realize that travel and outdoor adventures are possible even with young children,” Akshay said. “You don’t have to wait until kids are older to start exploring. Some of our most memorable moments have come from experiencing America’s National Parks together as a family.”

There’s no precedent to overcome in their quest for a Guinness World Record. But they won’t be upset to see it broken once they accomplish it.

“This lesson is for everyone out there,” Akshay said. “Kids can be exposed to nature, and records are meant to be broken.”

The family is in the preliminary stages of gathering the necessary information to qualify for a Guinness World Record. According to GuinnessWorldRecords.com, records must be measurable, breakable, standardizable, verifiable, based on a variable and meet a challenging minimum, if it’s a new idea. There’s also a small fee required for new records.