Gemopedia
Board Games🇺🇸United States21st century

PARKS

Officially PARKS (Keymaster Games — Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series)

BEAUTIFUL RESOURCE-COLLECTION + WORKER-PLACEMENT GAME by KEYMASTER GAMES (2019) themed on AMERICAN NATIONAL PARKS. 1-5 players are HIKERS who traverse ROTATING TRAIL of tiles collecting RESOURCES (SUN, WATER, TREES, MOUNTAIN, WILDLIFE) to visit + score PARK CARDS depicting 48 US NATIONAL PARKS with art by the 59 PARKS PRINT SERIES artists. Won 2019 GOLDEN GEEK 'Best Family Game'. Praised for stunning visual design + accessible strategic depth. Kickstarter launch raised $500K+; sequel PARKS: NIGHTFALL 2022 expansion.

📐Table with modular trail path + park cards + resource tokens⏱~45 min🌤indoor

Quick facts

Category

Board Games

Type

Individual

Players

1–5

Duration

~45 min

Where played

indoor

Field / court

Table with modular trail path + park cards + resource tokens

Country of origin

🇺🇸 United States

Estimated origin

Released May 2019 by Keymaster Games (Los Angeles, CA) via Kickstarter (raised $497K+); designed by Henry Audubon; illustrated by 59 Parks Print Series artists (originally poster-art collective inspired by WPA-era National Park posters); 2019 Golden Geek Best Family Game; PARKS Nightfall expansion 2022 adds solo + night-time modes.

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

How it works

Objective

Score MOST VP by VISITING PARK CARDS (each worth 4-15 VP based on rarity) across 4 seasonal rounds.

Rules

Basic rules

  • 4 SEASONS: SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER (each ~5-8 min); trail resets each season with new tile order

    Signature 4-season rounds.

  • TURN: Move HIKER 1+ SITES forward on TRAIL; take RESOURCE at destination tile + any prior tile skipped

    Signature move + collect turn.

  • SITE ACTIONS: SUNRISE (draw campfire), CAMPSITE (rest + take gear), STREAM (water), FOREST (trees), MOUNTAIN (rock), TRAIL START, VISIT PARK ENTRANCE (spend resources to CLAIM park card)

    Signature 7+ site types.

  • PARK CARDS: each shows RESOURCE COST (e.g., 2 sun + 1 water + 1 wildlife) + VP VALUE (4-15 VP)

    Signature park-card cost + VP.

  • GEAR: CAMERA (photograph parks for extra VP), CANTEEN (extra water), BOOTS (extra movement) — buy at camp

    Signature gear upgrades.

  • SEASON END: hikers reset to start; season card flipped to next season (Fall changes rules more than Winter, etc.)

    Signature season-change reset.

  • GAME END: after 4 SEASONS, players count PARK CARD VP + PHOTOGRAPH BONUSES + GEAR VP

    Signature 4-season game-end.

  • PARKS: NIGHTFALL expansion adds SOLO AUTOMA + NIGHTFALL mode with darker tile-side + special animals

    Signature Nightfall expansion.

Scoring

Sum of park card VP + photograph VP + gear VP after 4 seasons.

Win condition · Most VP at game end.

Playing area

Called

Table with modular trail path + park cards + resource tokens

Dimensions

Trail ~60 cm long + player boards + card grid

Equipment

  • 48 PARK CARDS (each depicting real US National Park with WPA-inspired poster art)

    Signature 48 National Park cards.

  • MODULAR TRAIL: 6-8 site tiles arranged in sequence (SUNRISE, campsites, water, mountain, park entrance)

    Signature modular trail.

  • RESOURCE TOKENS: SUN, WATER, TREES, MOUNTAIN, WILDLIFE (wooden meeples in nature colors)

    Signature 5-resource wooden tokens.

  • 5 HIKER MEEPLES (per player, different colors)

    Signature hiker meeples.

  • CAMERA + CANTEEN + BOOT UPGRADE tokens

    Signature gear upgrades.

  • SEASON CARDS (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter — each changes trail rules)

    Signature 4-season variability.

Terminology

Hiker
Player meeple traversing the trail.
Trail
Modular tile path of 6-8 sites — rotates each season.
Park card
Card representing US National Park — visit + spend resources to claim.
Sunrise
Starting tile of trail — often first-turn resource.
Photograph
Bonus for photographing park with camera — extra VP.
Fifty-Nine Parks Print
WPA-inspired US National Parks art series — provides Parks' iconic look.

Major competitions

  • Golden Geek 2019 — Best Family Game (winner)

    annual · Global BGG community · since 2006

  • Dice Tower Awards 2019

    annual · Global gaming media · since 2007

Where it is played

Governing bodies

  • Keymaster Games (publisher + designer studio)

    Founded 2017 · Los Angeles, CA, USA

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

  • Henry Audubon (US, designer)
  • 59 Parks Print Series (US, artist collective providing park artwork)

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-28.verified