NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Schaumburg, IL, June 29, 2026: A 16-month-old Illinois girl is on track to become the youngest person to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, turning family adventures into a potential Guinness World Record.
Aarya Sharma of Schaumburg has already visited 34 national parks with her parents, Akshay Sharma and Aparajita Rai. The family hopes to complete visits to the remaining parks within the next two years, before Aarya turns four.
The journey began not as a record attempt but as a way for the travel-loving couple to introduce their daughter to the outdoors. After Aarya had visited 15 national parks, a park ranger suggested she might be young enough to set a world record.
“We thought that we could introduce her to nature and all the national parks, but we never thought that it will result in a record or something like that,” Akshay Sharma told People magazine. “On the suggestion of the ranger, we said, ‘Why not? Let’s go for it.'”
Both parents, who work as software professionals, plan their trips around weekends and holidays, balancing work schedules, budgets, weather conditions and the logistics of traveling with a toddler. They are also documenting their travels as part of the Guinness World Records application process.
Aparajita Rai said Aarya has developed a genuine fascination with nature despite her young age.
“I think most babies are very curious little beings. They get intrigued by small things, maybe it’s wind blowing through leaves in a forest preserve, or just sitting and listening to the sound of waterfalls, or having the mist of the water on their face,” she told People. She recalled watching her daughter sit mesmerized before a waterfall in Yosemite National Park, “kind of fully soaking it in and enjoying the moment.”
The couple says the trips are about much more than setting a record.
“We want her to understand different landscapes and just be cognizant of the fact that these are treasures that you need to save for future generations,” Rai said. “She’s really too young to understand all that stuff, but if we take her more out in nature, she will develop love and care for nature.”
Rai said the family’s goal has also been to encourage other parents to explore nature with young children.
“As a parent, and someone who really loves going outdoors, the idea was never to create a record,” she said. “We really wanted other people who have kids to understand that they can easily go out and really enjoy with their kids in nature.”
If Aarya completes visits to all 63 national parks and her achievement is verified by Guinness World Records, she could become the youngest person to accomplish the feat. According to published reports, one of the youngest known visitors to complete all 63 parks is Journey Castillo of Texas, who finished the journey shortly after turning three in 2023.
Looking ahead, Akshay Sharma hopes the experience will leave his daughter with more than photographs.
“Five to 10 years from now, when Aarya grows up, she will see what her family has attained together,” he told People. “She will see that nothing is impossible in this world.”
Sources: People magazine; ABC News.
