If you’ve ever wanted to hike across America’s best parks but are also, like me, allergic to both exercise and mosquitos, you’re in luck. This review covers Parks, the board game where you can collect mountains and canteens from the comfort of your dining table. I played this with my usual bunch and let me tell you, the only thing more competitive than grabbing trail mix in my group is snatching up the prettiest forest tile. Spoiler: there were some feelings, a lot of laughs, and not a blister in sight. Let’s see how much fun we actually had, if the hype is real, and if it’s worth your shelf space.
How It Plays
Setting up
Start by laying out the trail tiles in a row. Shuffle and place the Park cards, Gear cards, and Canteen cards nearby. Give each player two hiker tokens, a campfire (for emergencies!), and some canteens to help with water. Everyone grabs their starting year card for a secret goal. Set out the season card to see what weird weather you’ll be hiking through.
Gameplay
Players take turns moving one of their hikers down the trail, stopping at a spot to collect resources like water, sunshine, trees, and sometimes mountains, if you’re lucky! You can’t stop where another hiker already is—unless you use your campfire, which you only get once per season! Use your resources to visit parks, buy gear, or fill canteens. Each season, the trail grows longer and new weather messes with your plans. I spent half my first game staring at the clouds wondering if I’d ever get enough sun for Yellowstone.
Winning the game
After four seasons, everyone adds up the points from their visited parks, year card, and photos. The player with the most points is the true Outdoor Champion—no actual hiking boots required!
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Parks.
Why ‘Parks’ Is The Board Game Eye Candy Your Table Needs
I’m not saying the art in ‘Parks’ made me cry, but if you saw a grown adult tearing up over cardboard, it definitely wasn’t me. The artwork in this game steals the show before you even open the box. Every park card bursts with colors so rich you’ll wish you could hang them on your wall. Turns out, the art’s actually by the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series, and now I want to hang every single one in my bathroom. If you love nature, or just pretend to around people named Chad, this game was painted for you.
Let’s talk components. The wooden hiker meeples? Adorable. The chunky resource tokens shaped like tiny droplets, suns, and trees? I caught my friend trying to sneak some home in his pocket. You know a game nails the component game when people act like they’re at a buffet. Even the way the box is organized makes my neat-freak heart sing. The insert fits everything snug, so I don’t have to fish for a stray camera token under the table a week later.
Even after many plays, nothing feels cheap or like it’ll break if your cousin gets a bit too enthusiastic moving his hiker. The cards stay crisp, the tokens don’t wear down, and the board tiles keep their perfect jigsaw fit. If you hate when pretty games age faster than milk, ‘Parks’ will delight you.
But hey, a game isn’t just a pretty face. Next up, I’ll spill the beans on the gameplay mechanics and strategy—where the real hiking boots hit the trail. You might want to pack snacks for this one.
Gameplay Mechanics and Strategy in Parks
Parks stands out because it mixes easy rules with clever choices. In every round, you take one of your two cute wooden hikers and walk them down a trail. Each space gives a different kind of resource: sunshine, water, mountains, or forests. You need these for one reason: to visit and collect beautiful parks cards. Trust me, the urge to grab every park is real.
Now, don’t let the peaceful nature art fool you—this game has plenty of tense moments. You can’t move backward on the trail and if someone blocks a spot, you’re out of luck unless you use your campfire token. That token lets you share a space once per round and has been the difference between eternal glory and biting my fist in frustration. My friend Sarah often uses her campfire like a pro, always blocking just where I wanted to go. She’s ruthless and I respect it.
The weather tokens are my nemesis. Each season, random weather drops extra resources along the trail. Sometimes it’s a blessing, sometimes it’s like someone sprinkled breadcrumbs just out of reach. These little twists mean you have to adapt your strategy if you want to collect those high-point parks or snatch the juicy gear cards that give bonuses. Gear can win you the game if chosen well, but good luck if you dilly-dally—somebody else will grab the best one while you’re daydreaming about squirrels.
Overall, Parks rewards planning and watching your opponents. It’s not a brain-burner but you can’t go full slacker either. Now, after surviving a few seasons and watching your friends glare at you for stealing Yosemite, does the game hold up with player interaction and replay value? Let’s hit the trail and find out next!
Player Chit-Chat and Keeping It Fresh in Parks
When it comes to player interaction, Parks is not your average silent, poker-faced affair. I’ve played with groups who are as loud as a troop of squirrels and still found everyone glued to the board. You see, every turn forces you to watch what your friends are picking up and where they’re going. I once blocked my mate Jill from grabbing a water token, and she’s still not forgiven me. Blocking paths can get a bit spicy! There’s this fun tension in racing for that perfect spot or snagging a gear card you know someone else has been eyeing.
But here’s the thing: player interaction isn’t mean-spirited. The way Parks works, you’re mostly just trying to fulfill your own goals, and the worst you can do is accidentally (or on purpose, if you’re feeling cheeky) take a space first. There’s enough going on that you rarely feel picked on. And don’t get me started on the secret year cards—those hidden missions make you second-guess every cheerful hiking decision your friends make. “Why is Gary so obsessed with mountains?”
Now for the replay value, I’ll say Parks shines like the Grand Canyon at sunset. The modular trail tiles and shuffled gear cards mean every hike is a bit different. I never felt like I was playing the same trip twice. It scratches that itch for variety without confusing you with a million rules—my granny could play it and have a blast.
Next up, let’s spill some beans on Parks’ tug-of-war between luck and skill—because no one wants a game that lets the dice decide their fate!
Luck Versus Skill in Parks: Who’s Really in Charge?
Let me set the scene: You’re halfway through a cozy game night with friends, and you’re playing Parks. Your hiker is poised, resources lined up like ducks in a row, and you know exactly which park you want to visit. But then… someone snags the last water you desperately need, and a new park card flips up that’s somehow even better than the one you planned for. Cue the frantic resource swapping and a few fake-tear shed moments.
So, is Parks a game of skill or just a cardboard lottery? In my experience, it’s a pretty smooth blend. You have to plan your moves, watch where others are going, and decide when to burn your campfire to double up on spaces. There’s real satisfaction in pulling off a clever turn or outmaneuvering your friend with the world’s weirdest hat (they know who they are). But Parks doesn’t let you control everything — the order of the trail tiles, the parks themselves, and weather patterns all add a sprinkle of luck. You can make the best plan in the world and still have to adjust when the game chucks a curveball your way.
Unlike games where you’re as likely to win by flipping a coin as by thinking, Parks rewards thinking ahead while keeping things fresh. I love this balance, since everyone at the table has a fair shot but you still feel clever when it works out. Is it perfect? No – sometimes you will lose because fate was against you. But most of the time, it feels fair.
If you like a strategic puzzle with just a hint of forest-flavored chaos, I recommend Parks. Grab your backpack and hit that trail!
Conclusion
Alright, time to wrap up this adventure and hang up my hiking boots! ‘Parks’ was a breath of fresh air at my game table. The art is honestly jaw-dropping. Every component feels like it was made for someone who likes board games but also wants to kidnap a museum painting. The gameplay is clever—easy enough for new folks, but tricky enough to make me pretend to be smart. Sure, there’s a bit of luck, but it never once felt unfair or like my plans got wiped out by a bad card draw. Plus, blocking my best friend’s path (and watching them grumble) is always a good time. The game changes enough each time to keep things fun, though if you play 20 times in a row you might start planning a real hike. If you like games that look good, feel good, and play fair, this one’s a winner. And if you’re a sore loser about bad dice rolls, you’re safe here. That’s it for my review of Parks. Happy trails, folks!
