Seven years ago, Stuart Kaner received the August 2016 issue of Arizona Highways in the mail. The issue, which highlighted Arizona’s national parks, inspired him to take an unexpected journey with his then-12-year-old grandson, Brenden. This April, Stuart, who goes by “Stu” or “Ziede” (the Yiddish word for “grandfather”), and Brenden finally achieved their long-awaited goal of visiting (almost) all 22 of Arizona’s National Park Service sites.
Although COVID-19 and other challenges hampered their journey at times, Stu and Brenden — now 71 and 18, respectively — are equipped with new outdoor skills, an unmatched appreciation for Arizona and, most importantly, memories they’ll cherish forever.
“You get what you give,” Stu Kaner says through tears. “That's my motto when it comes to my family, my kids and my grandkids. I was able to give this, and I'll carry this to my grave.”
We caught up with Stu and Brenden to hear about their journey, what they enjoyed most about the experience and the challenges they overcame to achieve their goal. (This Q&A has been edited for clarity and length.)
What inspired you to visit all of Arizona’s National Park Service sites?
Stu Kaner: Brenden has two younger brothers, with the oldest one being six years younger than him. I was talking to his mom, and I was saying that I noticed that almost all the things they do as a family are geared toward keeping the little ones busy. After having that conversation, I came home and I opened my mailbox, and I was a little upset. I walked inside and I threw the mail on the counter. At the top of the mail was the August 2016 issue of Arizona Highways. I looked at it and I flipped over to the inside cover, and it had the listing of all 22 national parks. I thought about it and I thought, You know what? I have nothing else going on. I'm going to go do this stuff with him. So, we mapped out our quest to visit every single one of these parks and everything along the way.
Tell us a little bit about the logistics behind the trip. How did you travel, and how many trips did you take to achieve your goal?
SK: I bought a new camper, because I didn't find tent camping all that comfortable at my age. Not a big one — it's a bunkhouse. I got a used truck to be able to tow it. We bought all the stuff we needed, like walkie-talkies and binoculars. Not the very best of it, but the basic stuff we needed to go camping. Each section of the state guided how we were going to make the trips. We tried to go up north in the summer and out south in the winter — that’s how we mapped it out. Originally it was going to be nine trips, but we ended up doing 21 national parks in eight trips, starting with Tonto National Monument and ending with the Grand Canyon. Preparation-wise, the National Park Service was a great help and the park rangers were awesome.
What were the highlights of the trip for you?
Brenden Kaner: There's several tribal ruins. Out of all those, the Navajo one was really cool. I also like Montezuma Castle, because it's bigger and you can get closer to it. Tumacácori was also really cool. We weren't that hyped up for it, but when we got there, the church was massive and there's a lot of history behind it. We learned about the conquistadores leading through there and settling down. For nature parks, I would definitely say the prettiest hike that I did was Walnut Canyon — it's just beautiful.
SK: In addition to those, Hubbell Trading Post. It's the oldest active trading post in the nation. Beauty-wise, there were so many. I enjoyed the Chiricahuas; I thought that was gorgeous.
Were there any challenges you had to overcome to achieve this goal?
SK: Just time. He’s in school and I work, so we had to plan it for when we had at least three to four free days. There were a few times where weather got in the way. I had some health issues in 2022 and into 2023 that kept me off of doing this full tilt. This last year has been rough on me. But I'm recovering now, and we were able to make this last trip. COVID also put a big damper on this. During COVID, all the national parks were closed. We could find places to camp, but that didn't do us any good, because the visitors centers were closed and there was no junior ranger program. So, we skipped everything from when the first lockdown started until they opened the parks back up.
What has this experience meant to both of you, and for your relationship?
BK: We've honestly become a lot closer through it and over the last six years. There were some times, especially navigating, where we were at odds with each other. But in the end, we're definitely a lot closer than we were. Even when we weren’t visiting monuments, it was nice to just sit down and play cards or board games in the trailer and spend time with him, because I don't get these years back and neither does he.
SK: When the first blog post was issued, I said I didn't want to be remembered as the Ziede that only took him out to eat. This is, pardon the pun, a monumental bond that will last forever. We learned how to properly hike together. He took up archery. We went fishing and camping the right way. Together, we learned how to do all these things. I wanted him to gain an appreciation so he could carry on pursuing this down the road, and he has. How many grandparents and grandsons get to do this? Words can't describe how phenomenal this is to both of us.