Parks
Guide two hikers through four seasonal trails, gather resources, take photos and visit national parks while balancing forward progress against useful stops.
Parks supports 1–5 players; community best: 3 players; playing time: 30–60 minutes. A WANGO browser trial has not been confirmed.
Background & introduction
Original PARKS gives each player two hikers on a trail rebuilt each season. Stopping at a site provides an action and resources, which can fund park visits or equipment. Parks, photographs and a personal Year goal determine the final score after four seasons.
Each hiker chooses how far to advance, usually giving up skipped sites for good. A campfire permits sharing an occupied site and relights when one of your hikers reaches the end. Moving early secures opportunities but may sacrifice useful stops.
Gear discounts, canteens filled with newly gained water and the camera’s cheaper photos support different collecting plans. The trail grows and reshuffles between seasons. Solo adds rangers and weather-triggered events, keeping the focus on improving your own journey’s score.
Core rules & scoring
This uses the original 2019 base game’s v1.2 rules, including solo. Multiplayer gives each person two hikers, a lit campfire, a starting Canteen and a Year goal; display three Parks and Gear cards and use sites appropriate to player count.
Play four seasons. Apply the Season effect and lay out its repeating weather pattern starting at the second trail site. The first hiker reaching a weather token collects it before taking the site action.
On your turn move either hiker rightward to any legal site farther along and perform its full action. You cannot stop where you cannot act. Keep at most twelve resource tokens at turn end.
To share any occupied site, even with your own other hiker, extinguish your campfire. It relights whenever one of your hikers reaches Trail End.
Wildlife can substitute for normal resources for specified uses such as Park visits, photos and buying Gear. It cannot fill Canteens or be exchanged or gained through the double-exchange site or corresponding Canteen exchange.
Fill Canteens only with water gained this turn, resolve their effect and leave the water there until season end. A photo normally costs any two resources; the camera reduces this to one and offers its holder a discounted season-end photo.
At Trail End relight your campfire, then reserve a Park, buy Gear or visit one Park. Reserving does not pay the Park cost or count as visiting it; a later visit must still pay before it scores.
Buy Gear with sunshine and apply its ongoing ability and any instant effect. Early purchase slots at Trail End offer player-count-dependent discounts. A visit pays a displayed or personally reserved Park’s resources; immediately refill emptied public Park slots.
Players with both hikers at Trail End stop taking turns that season. In multiplayer, the final hiker remaining on the trail must go directly to its end. At season end the camera holder may take a photo, empty Canteens, then add an advanced site and shuffle the next trail.
After season four, score Parks, photos, your Year goal and one point for the First Hiker marker. Most points wins; ties favor more visited Parks, then are shared. Solo alternates ranger turns using Gear-driven movement and weather events, with special end-of-trail and season procedures, and evaluates your four-season total.
Rules & gameplay questions
Can a hiker return to a skipped site?
Normal movement only goes forward to the right. You can activate your other hiker farther back, but cannot move the hiker that passed the site backward.
Can the campfire share a site with my own hiker?
Yes, but it must be extinguished just as when sharing with an opponent. It relights when either of your hikers reaches Trail End.
Can stored water fill a Canteen?
No. Only water gained on the current turn can fill one. Weather rewards count as resources gained that turn.
Does a reserved Park already score?
No. Reservation sets it aside for you. Later take a visit action and pay its cost to place it among visited Parks for final scoring.
Does this include newer editions or expansions, and is there solo?
This is the original 2019 base game, rules v1.2, for 1–5 players including ranger solo rules. Second Edition, Nightfall and Wildlife are excluded.
Rules & introduction sources
- Edition
- PARKS (2019) original physical base game using English rules v1.2 linked from the current publisher teaching page, for 1–5 players. Includes original ranger solo mode and the rulebook FAQ; excludes the 2025 Second Edition, Nightfall, Wildlife and other expansions.
- Rule references
- Introduction source
- BoardGameGeek
WANGO editorial
| Parameter | Recorded value |
|---|---|
| BGG overall rank (snapshot) | #182 |
| Complexity Weight | 2.13 / 5 |
| Best player count (community) | 3 |
| Player range | 1–5 |
| Playing time (minutes) | 30–60 |
| Core mechanisms | Contracts · End Game Bonuses · Events · Modular Board · Solo / Solitaire Game · Track Movement · Turn Order: Claim Action · Variable Set-up · Worker Placement |
| Chinese publication | Unconfirmed |
| WANGO browser play | No confirmed WANGO trial |
| Year published | 2019 |
| Suggested age | 10+ |
BGG statistics are stored snapshots, not live rankings. Source checked：2026-09-27
Player questions
What is the best player count for Parks, and can I play online?
Parks supports 1–5 players; community best: 3 players; playing time: 30–60 minutes. A WANGO browser trial has not been confirmed. Recorded mechanism tags: Solo / Solitaire Game.
How complex is Parks, and which mechanisms does it use?
Weight: 2.13 / 5. Mechanisms: Contracts · End Game Bonuses · Events · Modular Board · Solo / Solitaire Game · Track Movement · Turn Order: Claim Action · Variable Set-up · Worker Placement. Chinese publication: Unconfirmed.
Where can I learn Parks?
No rule guide, strategy article or WANGO trial has been confirmed for this record.