Rules for Playing the Trekking the National Parks Game

Are you excited to embark on a thrilling adventure through the National Parks? Well, get ready, because I’m going to guide you through the game rules!

Objective:

Your goal is to visit as many National Parks as you can and collect these beautiful Park Cards. Each Park Card rewards you with points, so be sure to gather as many as possible!

Setup:

First things first, lay out the Game Board. Each park on the board has a matching Park Card displayed above it. Shuffle the Park Cards and place them face-down as the draw pile.

Next, each player chooses a colored Trekker Token and places it on the starting space. All players start with 10 Energy Cards and 2 Gear Cards.

Gameplay:

On your turn, you have two options:

Option 1: Draw a Park Card. You can draw the top card from the draw pile.

Option 2: Move and Collect. You can move your token along the paths and collect Park Cards as you land on the parks. However, you must spend Energy Cards matching the terrain type to move from park to park. If you land on a park without a Park Card, draw the top card from the pile and keep it.

In addition to moving and collecting Park Cards, during your turn, you can also:

• Play Gear Cards. These cards provide powerful abilities to help you on your journey. To play a Gear Card, follow its instructions and then discard it.
• Complete a Hike. If you have collected Gear Cards matching the terrain types of a specific park trio, you can complete a hike. This rewards you with extra points and extra moves.

End of the Game:

The game ends when one of the two end conditions is triggered:

• If all the Park Cards have been drawn from the draw pile, you may continue to move and collect Park Cards.
• If any player reaches the end space and everyone has had an equal number of turns.

Now that you understand the rules, it’s time to grab your Trekker Token, collect those Park Cards, and embark on an unforgettable journey through the National Parks!

Imagine traveling across the United States, from Acadia to American Samoa, from Kobuk Valley to the Virgin Islands, all within the boundaries of our country’s spectacular national parks. These parks offer an abundance of outdoor activities and breathtaking scenery, making them perfect for adventure and exploration!

Trekking the National Parks board game offers you a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the wonders of these natural landscapes. Gather your friends and family, and embark on a thrilling journey as you navigate the map, capturing the essence of these incredible places.

As you make your way through the game, collect stones, stake your claim on parks, and earn points. Each step you take brings you closer to experiencing the true majesty of these national treasures!

What’s Inside the Box?

• 1 Map board
• 5 Trekkers
• 1 Bag
• 45 Stones
• 15 Campsites
• 1 First Player token
• 6 Major Park cards
• 96 Trek cards
• 39 Park cards
• 5 Player Aid cards
• 10 Stone Bonus cards
• 1 Rules booklet

Object of the Game

Welcome to Trekking the National Parks – a fun competition where you and your friends will race to visit the many amazing American national parks and discover their unique qualities.

To win, your goal is to prove you’re the most experienced traveler by exploring the map and trying to earn the most Victory Points. There are different ways you can achieve this:

When you see the golden arrowhead, it means you’ve found Victory Points! Make sure to grab as many as possible!

Setup

Let me tell you all about getting started. It’s important to understand how to set up something before jumping in, right? So, let’s dive in and learn the basics.

The first thing you need to know is the importance of setting up correctly. When you set something up, it ensures that it’s ready to go and functions properly. Whether you’re starting a new project or trying out a new tool, setting it up correctly is crucial.

But how do you know what to do? That’s a good question. When it comes to setting up, there are a few key factors to consider. You want to make sure you choose the right options and understand how everything works together.

So, let’s break it down. First, you need to have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve. This will help you determine the best setup for your needs. Are you starting a new website? Launching a blog? Or maybe you’re setting up a new computer? Whatever it is, knowing your goal will guide your setup process.

Once you have a clear goal in mind, it’s time to gather all the necessary tools and resources. This could include software, hardware, or even talented people who can help you along the way. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to do everything on your own. There are plenty of resources available to assist you.

After you have everything you need, it’s time to take action. This is where the actual setup process begins. You’ll need to follow the instructions provided and make sure you understand each step. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck. Setting up can be a little tricky, but with a little perseverance, you’ll get there.

Once you’ve completed the setup, it’s time to test everything out. Make sure it’s working smoothly and that you’re satisfied with the results. If something isn’t quite right, don’t worry. You can always go back and make adjustments until you’re happy.

And there you have it! Setting up doesn’t have to be daunting. By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to success. Just remember to stay patient and ask for help when you need it. Good luck!

Step 1: Put the Map board in the middle of the table.

Taking 45 stones, I’m going to mix them all together in a bag to make sure they’re good and scrambled. Now, here’s where it gets interesting. We’re going to take these mixed-up stones and randomly pick one for each spot on our map. We’re going to do this for every park location. It’s like a surprise game of chance!

Alright, time to get ready for our adventure. Each player gets to pick their own color and takes one Trekker and three Campsites. We’re going to place our Trekkers on the START location of the map and keep our Campsites right in front of us. These Campsites are going to be important later on.

Now it’s time to add a bit of mystery to the game. We’re going to shuffle the six Major Park cards and then randomly choose three of them. These three chosen Major Parks will be placed face up next to the board. The other three Major Parks will go back in the box for now.

Finally, let’s add some excitement to the mix. We’re going to shuffle all the Park cards and make a deck with them. This deck goes right next to the board, face down. Now, to spice things up even more, we’ll take the top three Park cards from our deck and place them face up next to the Major Parks. This adds a bit of variety to our game, giving us different things to explore.

Alright, here’s the deal. We’re gonna play a game called Trekking the National Parks. First things first, let’s shuffle the Trek cards and give each player 2 cards. But hey, keep ’em secret, alright? We don’t want anyone peeking. Now, the rest of the Trek cards go face down next to the board, forming a deck. Take the top 5 cards from that deck and place ’em face up beside the board. Oh, and make sure there’s room for a discard pile next to those cards.

Now, let’s talk about the bonus cards. You got the Most Stones Bonus cards and the 2nd Most Stones Bonus cards. Just put ’em near the board. If you wanna save some space, you can stack ’em up. Easy, right?

Hold on, though. If you’re playing with just 2 players, you only need the Most Stones Bonus cards. So, keep the other ones aside for now.

Before we kick things off, we gotta decide who goes first. Give the First Player token to the person who last visited a national park. They get to take the first turn. Lucky them!

Alright, buckle up! We’re all set and ready to go. Let the game begin!

Game Play

When it’s your turn in the game, you get to take two actions. Starting with the first player and going around the table in a clockwise direction, each player takes their turn until the game is over.

During your turn, you have a choice of two actions you can take.

Hey there! So, here’s the deal. You’ve got a couple of options when it comes to what you can do in this game. You can choose to do two different actions, or you can do the same action twice. It’s totally up to you which order you want to do them in.

For example, you could decide to move first and then draw a Trek card. Or maybe you want to move twice in a row. You could even choose to draw two Trek cards instead. Oh, and don’t forget, you can also move and then claim a Park card.

Trek Cards

Now, let’s talk about Trek cards. These little guys are super important because they’re like the game’s currency. They represent your ability to move around the map and see all the cool stuff at each park. Each Trek card has two pieces of info on it:

When you use the number on a Trek card, you can move your Trekker to different parks on the map. However, it’s important to note that the Trek card with the tree icon doesn’t represent a value of 4 tree icons. Instead, it can be used either as a tree icon or to move a distance of 4.

The icon on the Trek card serves two purposes: to claim Park cards and to occupy Major Parks. Keep in mind that each Trek card has only one type of icon.

Important: The number on the card does not determine its value. A Trek card is always worth one icon. When playing the game, you have to decide how to use your Trek cards: either for their number value to move or for their icon to claim a Park card or occupy a Major Park.

Action: Get a Trek Card

Get one Trek card and add it to your hand. You can take this card from the face-up Trek cards or draw the top card from the deck (this is called a blind draw).

If you draw a face-up card, immediately replace it with a new card from the top of the deck (there should always be 5 face-up cards visible). If the Trek card deck is empty, shuffle all the discarded cards and replenish the deck.

Hey there! Let’s talk about the rules for managing your Trek cards. So, here’s the deal: you can only hold up to 12 Trek cards in your hand at the end of your turn. If you have more than 12, you gotta get rid of the extras. Bummer, I know.

Now, there’s another thing to keep in mind. If four out of those five face-up Trek cards have the same color, you need to say goodbye to all five of them. They go straight into the discard pile. But don’t worry, we don’t leave you empty-handed. We’ll turn over five new cards to replace the old ones.

Example: Imagine you have four mountain cards laying on the table. Suddenly, you notice that all five face-up Trek cards are there too. What do you do? Well, in this situation, you have to quickly get rid of all the Trek cards that are face-up by discarding them. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to bring in some fresh new cards. Flip over five new cards and make sure they face up so that everyone can see them.

Action: Move

Hello there! Let me show you how to move your Trekker on the trails and explore new locations. It’s exciting! Just follow these simple steps:

1. First, say out loud the name of the location you want to move to. Then, let’s decide which trail or trails we’ll use to reach that place. Our green Trekker wants to go to Lassen Volcanic, so he picks the highlighted red trails as his route.

When I’m trekking through the national parks, I often find myself faced with a tricky challenge – how to navigate the trails and reach my destination in the most efficient way possible. It’s not always easy, but there’s a clever trick I’ve learned that can help me along the way.

Here’s how it works – I take a look at the Trek cards in my hand and try to find a combination that adds up to the exact number of trails between me and my destination. Once I’ve found the right cards, I discard them and move closer to my goal.

For example, let’s say I’m trying to reach Lassen Volcanic and the green Trekker on the board is currently 2 trails away. I can use a single ‘2’ Trek card to make the trip, or I can combine two ‘1’ Trek cards. Both options would get me to my destination.

It’s important to note that you can’t use a card with a value higher than the distance you’re traveling. So if I were 2 trails away from my destination, I couldn’t use a ‘3’ Trek card – it’s simply too far.

This strategy is a real game-changer when it comes to trekking the national parks. It allows me to plan my moves and make the most of the cards in my hand. So next time you’re out on the trails, keep this trick in mind – it could be the key to reaching your destination!

Hey, let’s talk about exploring national parks! Here’s how you can play the game called Trekking the National Parks. So, I want you to imagine that you have a little figurine called a Trekker. Your goal is to move your Trekker to a new location in the game.

When you get to a new location, check if there is a stone there. If there is, pick it up and place it in front of you so that everyone playing the game can see it. Look at this picture, where you can see the green Trekker picking up a blue stone at Lassen Volcanic.

Now, here’s the cool part. With just one move, you can actually pass through several parks to reach your desired destination. You don’t have to stop at each park along the way. But remember, you can only collect the stone at your final location if there is one there. For example, in this picture, the green Trekker didn’t pick up the yellow stone when passing through Redwood on its way to Lassen Volcanic.

To make sure everyone plays fair, there are some rules you should always follow when you decide to move your Trekker. Let’s go through them:

• Make sure you only move your Trekker one location at a time.
• Remember to check if there is a stone at your destination. If there is, collect it and keep it in front of you.
• When moving, you don’t have to stop at every park you pass through. Just keep going until you reach your desired location.

Isn’t this game exciting? Are you ready to start your adventure and explore the national parks in Trekking the National Parks? Let’s go!

There’s no limit to how many Trek cards you can use during a single move. For instance, you could use a ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘2’, and ‘3’ Trek card all together to move 8 trails. This would count as one action. Remember, though, you can’t use the same trail more than once in a move, and you can’t go back to the spot you started from in a single move. Here’s an image to help you visualize it:


I guess you can’t go through a spot if someone else is already there, except for the starting spot. Everyone can be in the starting spot at the same time, and it doesn’t block anyone. Look at the picture with the red and blue Trekkers. The red Trekker can’t go to Isle Royale because the blue Trekker is blocking the way.

But hey, you can end your turn on a spot that someone else is already on. If you do that, they get bumped off and have to go back to the starting spot. Check out the picture with the red and blue Trekkers again. The red Trekker goes to Joshua Tree and bumps the blue Trekker back to the starting spot.

Even though the starting spot isn’t a park, it still works like one. It’s like a meeting point for all the trails.

Action: Claim a Park Card

Hey there! Today, I want to talk to you about claiming a Park Card, and why it’s something you might want to consider. Let me explain how it works.

First off, claiming a Park Card is super easy. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps, and you’ll be on your way to enjoying all the benefits of having your very own Park Card. It’s like having a VIP pass to all the fun and excitement that the park has to offer.

Now, you might be wondering what exactly a Park Card is, and why it’s worth claiming. Well, let me tell you. A Park Card is your ticket to an amazing experience at the park. With it, you’ll have access to exclusive deals and discounts, early access to new attractions, and even special events that are only available to Park Card holders. It’s the ultimate way to make the most of your time at the park.

By claiming a Park Card, you’re not only getting all these awesome perks, but you’re also supporting the park. You see, the revenue generated from Park Card sales goes directly back into the park. This helps to maintain and improve the park, ensuring that future visitors will continue to have an incredible experience.

So, how do you claim a Park Card? It’s as simple as visiting our website and filling out a quick form. Just provide some basic information, choose your desired Park Card level, and you’re all set. You can even opt to have your Park Card mailed to you or pick it up in person at the park.

Once you have your Park Card in hand, you’re ready to start enjoying all the benefits. From discounted food and merchandise to skip-the-line access on popular rides, the possibilities are endless. Plus, you’ll be the first to know about any upcoming events or promotions, so you’ll never miss out on the fun.

So, whether you’re a frequent visitor or just looking for a new way to experience the park, claiming a Park Card is definitely the way to go. With all the perks and benefits it offers, you’ll wonder how you ever visited the park without one.

Don’t wait any longer – claim your Park Card today and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime. Trust me, you won’t regret it. See you at the park!

To snag one of the Park cards that are face-up, you gotta have your Trekker at the park spot on the map. Plus, you need to show Trek cards from your hand that have the same icons as the ones on the Park card.

Get rid of those Trek cards and grab the Park card, keeping it in front of you (but keep it face down). Right after you snag a Park card, replace it right away with a new card from the top of the Park deck. There should always be 3 Park cards facing up, and those are the only ones you can grab at any time.

Example: I’m hiking through the lush greenery of Lassen Volcanic. As I make my way, I decide to take action and claim a park card. So, I play a blue canoe, a purple mountain, and a red boot card from my hand. With these cards, I gain the Lassen Volcanic Park card and proudly put it in front of me.

Action: Capture a Big Park

Have you ever been drawn to the beauty of nature, captivated by its sheer grandeur? I reckon you have, my friend. There’s something about exploring the great outdoors that rejuvenates the soul and uplifts the spirit. Now, when it comes to immersing oneself in such an experience, there’s a way to make it even more thrilling – by playing a game known as Trekker. In this game, you have the opportunity to claim magnificent park cards as your own and showcase your conquests.

One of the key actions in Trekker is the ability to “Occupy a Major Park.” Let me break it down for you. When someone takes this action, they are essentially staking their claim on a significant park card. It’s a strategic move that requires careful consideration and cunning. You see, each park card requires specific cards to be played in order to claim it. By playing the correct combination of cards, you can seize that coveted park card and add it to your collection.

Choosing the right cards to play is no easy task, my friend. It requires an understanding of the symbols on the cards and the parks they correspond to. For example, the blue canoe card represents water-based parks, while the purple mountain card corresponds to mountainous parks. The red boot card, on the other hand, signifies parks that are perfect for hiking and exploring on foot. By matching the symbols on the cards with the symbols on the park cards, you can successfully claim them.

But remember, my friend, the game of Trekker is a double-edged sword. While claiming park cards can elevate your status and showcase your triumphs, it can also give your opponents the chance to halt your progress. You see, once a park card is claimed, it becomes off-limits to other players. So, if you have your eye on a particular park card, you must act swiftly before someone else snatches it away.

It is important to interpret the actions of your opponents and strategize accordingly. If you notice someone trying to claim a park card that you desire, you can play cards from your hand to hinder their progress. By doing so, you regenerate response and potentially turn the tide in your favor.

Overall, the meaning of the “Occupy a Major Park” action is clear – it’s all about staking your claim, showcasing your conquests, and outmaneuvering your opponents. Are you up for the challenge? If you’re a fan of nature, strategy, and a good old-fashioned competition, then you’ll love the exhilaration that Trekker brings. So, put on your hiking boots, grab your canoe, and get ready to explore the wilderness like never before.

With these factors in mind, you’re now equipped to delve into the exciting world of Trekker. So, my friend, let the adventure begin!

If you want to claim one of the three Major Parks, you need to be at the location of the Major Park on the map. Then, you have to reveal Trek cards from your hand that have icons matching the icons shown on the Major Park.

When you find these matching Trek cards, you have to discard them. After that, you can take one of your Campsites and place it on the Major Park card to show that you have claimed that park. Remember, you can only claim each Major Park once.

Note:

Remember: The three Main Parks that were created in the beginning of the game are always available for everyone to use throughout the entire game. These cards cannot be taken or discarded by players. You are allowed to use any Main Park that is already being used by another player.

When you occupy a Main Park, you also gain a special ability: