About Eric Kufrin

Hi, my name is Eric. 👋

I’ve been drawn to the outdoors for as long as I can remember. As a kid, nothing made me happier than being outside — camping, hiking, or spending time in the woods as a Scout. Somewhere along the way, being in nature stopped being a hobby and became a core part of who I am.

My first National Park visit was in 2008, standing on the summit of Haleakalā National Park. A year later, my brothers and I backpacked through Great Smoky Mountains National Park — the trip that truly hooked me on backpacking and life in the mountains.

In 2009, the Ken Burns series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea aired, and I made a quiet decision that would shape the next chapter of my life: I was going to visit every U.S. National Park.

That goal quickly turned into a way of living. A two-week trip to Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park in 2010 became one of the most formative experiences of my life — and I never really slowed down after that.

In late 2025, I completed that goal, visiting park 63 of 63 over more than 17 years and 180+ individual park visits. Along the way, the parks shaped me in ways I never expected — through moments of awe, challenge, silence, and connection. What surprised me most wasn’t finishing the list, but realizing it didn’t feel like an ending at all.

63/63 wasn’t the end — it was the foundation.

My favorite National Park is Yosemite.

There’s something about that valley — the granite, the waterfalls, the giant sequoias, the way the light shifts as the sun drops behind the walls. I’ve watched Half Dome glow orange, stood under moonlit meadows, and felt that unmistakable pull that says: you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

I return to Yosemite more often than anywhere else. Over time, it stopped feeling like a destination and started feeling like a responsibility — to know it deeply, to respect it, and to help others experience it the right way.

That’s what led me to start guiding in Yosemite.

I run a small, independent guiding business and I’m the sole guide on every trip. I lead day hikes and backpacking trips focused on safety, stewardship, and genuine connection — not rushing miles or chasing checklists, but slowing down enough to really experience the place. Whether it’s your first time in Yosemite or your fiftieth, my goal is to help you see it with clarity, confidence, and respect.

When I’m out in wild places, I always carry a camera. I love capturing timelapses, alpenglow, quiet trail moments, wildlife encounters, and long exposures under dark skies. Photography is how I slow down, pay attention, and share what these places feel like — and it’s shaped how I guide as well.

Why I Guide

I didn't start guiding to turn Yosemite into a product.

I guide because of what this place does to people when they're given the space to actually receive it.

I've seen it happen. The moment someone stops moving long enough for the valley to land. When the scale of the granite finally registers. When the noise of ordinary life becomes genuinely impossible to hear and something quieter and more important takes its place.

That moment doesn't happen on a crowded shuttle or a rushed summit push. It happens when you go deeper than the typical visit allows — with someone who knows where to look and when to be quiet.

After visiting all 63 National Parks I've learned that the experiences that stay with you aren't the ones you check off a list. They're the ones that change something. The ones you're still thinking about years later when you need to remember what matters.

That's what I'm trying to give people. Not a hike. Not a service. An experience that stays.

Thanks for being here and following along on the journey.

—
Eric Kufrin
Owner & Guide

Curious about my complete national parks journey?
Check out my Parks Visit Data — all 63 parks, stats, and travel history.