Exploring Our National Parks
A Photographic and Literary Album by Michael Finney
Exploring Our National Park began, like many of my media projects, as bite-sized social media posts. During the 2010s, I became attracted to visiting as many national parks as possible and photographing my experiences. Along the way, it became something much larger — a three-volume series of books, films, and original music, including more than 20 national parks across the United States.
The mission has taken me across the country, but there are plenty of parks left to see.
Volume 1
Volume 1, published in November 2020, covers nine parks from the Rocky Mountains to the red rock arches of Utah. The book pairs photographs with essays — my attempt to put into words what the camera couldn't fully capture; like the aura Wind Cave, the geological and hydrological chaos of Yellowstone, and the peaceful isolation of Isle Royale. A companion video series and original soundtrack followed.
The book is available as paperback and ebook on Amazon.
Volume 2
Volume 2 arrived in September 2022 and further explored the territories in poetry and journal-like entries. Eight parks this time — from the moss-draped rainforests of Olympic to the underground darkness of Mammoth Cave. The soundtrack for Volume 2 is an EP with 5 new tracks.
Available as paperback and ebook on Amazon and as a video series on Gumroad.
After creating two collections of parks, I knew that I wanted to approach the next entry from a new perspective.
Volume 3
Volume 3, published in November 2024, moves into the American Southwest and documents seven parks, including Big Bend, Carlsbad Caverns, and White Sands. This volume is avaqilable as a full documentary film on Gumroad rather than individual video segments — a natural evolution as the project's visual ambitions grew alongside its geographic scope.
Available as paperback and ebook on Amazon. The documentary soundtrack music album is soon to follow.
During this trip, I was more conscientious about my note-taking on each day and also more diligently captured photographs and video.
Standalone Releases
In 2025, I began releasing standalone ebooks and audiobooks for individual parks — starting with Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Badlands, and Acadia. These are focused, single-park editions available exclusively on Amazon and Audible for readers and listeners who want to know about one destination rather than meander with me through an entire volume.
The Album
Across all three volumes, the series is subtitled A Photographic and Literary Album— a phrase I chose deliberately. These are not solely guidebooks. They won't dictate where to park or which trail to take. They are albums in the broadest sense: curated collections of images, words, and sound meant to preserve the fleeting experiences.
Twenty-four parks. Three books. Three film projects. Two original soundtracks. Four standalone editions. The work spans five years of travel across dozens of states, and I don't consider it finished. I narrate every audiobook in the series myself — a choice I made early on because these parks are experienced through a personal voice, not a polished one. This same line of thinking
There are a number of potential extensions to this project on the horizon. While I haven’t decided where to go next just yet, I promise there will be more to come in the future. There are parks I have visited that have not yet been released, and the National Park Service also has a habit of designating new sites as well.