You skipped the National Lakeshores (and Seashores) like the Apostale Islands and Pictured Rocks. They’re national parks too, just named different.
Those are National Park Service Units, which there are 419 of, including the National Parks.
There are just 62 National Parks, all of which are on our list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_the_United_States
To be clear I meant that as you skipped some great national parks you should go back to, not that your blog post or claim was inaccurate due to skipping them. The idea of going all the way out to Isle Royale and skipping Pictured Rocks or Apostale Islands along the way makes me cringe a bit. They have stunning scenery, trails, campsites, and ranger programs like any other national park.
The designations are all messed up because they are political. Plus 419 “units” is questionable since DOI counts things like the Denali Reserve that’s adjacent to Denali Natl Park as two places. Or all the monuments on the mall as separate units.
Did you notice at Indiana Dunes that all the signs still said National Lakeshore? It was just recently redesignated as a “Park,” without any of the facilities, trails, boundaries etc changing. Rumor is because someone from Indiana high up in the White House wanted Indiana to have a “National Park.” If you go to an apostale islands campsite or pictured rock backcountry site/trails you will probably feel more like you’re at a National Park than Indiana Dunes. And that’s not to knock the Dunes or say it shouldn’t also be a “Park.” (It’s our local getaway after all.) Just that the designations are arbitrary and confusing, leading people to ignore the national parks that congress decides for whatever reason to list as National so and so instead of “Park.”
Edited for spelling.