PARKS
PARKS Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 1 Tri-fold board
- 2 Token trays (each holds all token types)
- 48 Park cards (Tarot, 70 x 120 mm)
- 10 Season cards (small, 50 x 75 mm)
- 12 Year cards (50 x 75 mm)
- 36 Gear cards (50 x 75 mm)
- 15 Canteen cards (50 x 75 mm)
- 9 Event cards — Solo Mode (50 x 75 mm)
- 10 Trail Sites
- 1 Trailhead and 1 Trail End
- 10 Hikers (two per player)
- 5 Campfires (one per player)
- 1 Camera
- 1 First Hiker Marker (enamel)
- 15 Forest tokens
- 15 Mountain tokens
- 30 Sunshine tokens
- 30 Water tokens
- 12 Wildlife tokens (unique shapes)
- 28 Photos (worth 1 point each)
Overview & Goal
Players take on the roles of two Hikers as they trek across different Trails during the four Seasons of a Year. Each Trail represents a different Season, and as each Season passes, the Trails change and grow steadily longer.
Each turn, players send one of their Hikers down the Trail. While on the Trail, Hikers will see beautiful Sites and perform an action when they arrive. When a Hiker reaches the end of the Trail, they can spend tokens they have received to visit Parks and earn points.
Your goal is to have the most points from your Parks, Photos, and Personal Bonus at the end of the Year.
Setup
Board & Resources — Place the board in between all players. Place the two token trays to the left and right of the board where they are easily within reach of the players and return their lids to the box. Each tray holds all types of tokens and also Photos, forming the supply.
Parks — Shuffle all the Park cards face down to form the Parks deck. Deal three face up into the top slots of the board and place the deck onto the Parks deck area on the top right of the board.
Gear — Shuffle all the Gear cards face down to form the Gear deck. Deal three face up into the bottom Gear slots on the board and place the deck onto the Gear deck area on the bottom right of the board.
Canteens — Shuffle the Canteen cards face down. Deal one face up to each player. This is their starting Canteen. Place the remaining Canteen deck onto its area on the top left of the board.
Year — Shuffle the Year deck. Deal two cards to each player. Players choose one of the two as their Personal Bonus for the Year and discard the other facedown. These cards uniquely reward a player for how well they accomplished their personal goal at the end of the game. These should remain facedown until scored at the game's end. For your first game, just deal one to each player. Return any unused Year cards facedown to the box.
Seasons — Shuffle the Season deck. Place it onto the Season area of the board and reveal the topmost card as the first Season.
Trail Setup — Begin creating the first Season's Trail below the board by placing the Trailhead Site tile on the far left. Separate the five Basic Site tiles (Forest, Mountain, Valley, Ocean, Vista) from the four Advanced Site tiles (Advanced Sites have an asterisk in the bottom right). If playing a 4–5 player game, add the Waterfall Site to the Basic Sites—if not, return it to the box. Next, shuffle the Advanced Site tiles and add one to the Basic Sites, forming the Trail deck.
Place the remaining Advanced Sites facedown to the left of the Trailhead. Shuffle the Trail deck (the Basic Sites and one Advanced Site) and reveal one Site at a time directly to the right of the Trailhead. Place each additional Site to the right of the previously-placed Site until all are placed face up. Finally, place the Trail End to the right of the last Site. Make sure it is not on its SOLO side as denoted in the bottom right. The Trail for the first Season is now formed!
Player Colors — Give each player two Hikers of the same color and place them onto the Trailhead. Give each player a Campfire matching their Hiker color and place it on the lit side in front of them. Give the First Hiker Marker to the player who most recently took a hike. Give the Camera to the player to the right of the First Hiker. Return any unused Hikers and Campfires to the box.
Starting a Season
The four Seasons of the Year make up the four rounds of play over the course of the game. Seasons change-up gameplay each round, and the Season ends when all Hikers reach the Trail End. To begin, see how the Season will affect gameplay for the round and if any immediate action is necessary from its effect. (Look at the Season Effect on the card.)
Weather Pattern — Look at the Season's Weather Pattern displayed on the bottom right of the card. Starting with the 2nd Trail Site, place the indicated tokens from the Weather Pattern onto the Trail—one per Site—from left to right. Simply repeat this pattern down the Trail and stop at the Trail End. You're ready to begin!
The pattern begins with the 2nd Trail Site and is repeated until the Trail End. Note: The Trailhead is not the 1st Trail Site. The one after is considered the 1st Trail Site.
Taking Turns
The player with the First Hiker Marker takes the first turn of the Season. On a turn, a player selects either one of their Hikers and moves the Hiker to a Site of their choice down Trail—anywhere to the right of that Hiker's current location. When the Hiker lands on the new Site, the player performs the Site's action. After taking the action, the next player clockwise takes a turn. Turns continue around the table until the Season ends.
If another Hiker—even your own—is already occupying a Site, then it cannot be visited unless you use your Campfire.
If a Hiker is the first to land on a Site with a token from the Weather Pattern, they take it into their supply as a bonus along with taking the Site's action.
Note: You must be able to take a Site's action in order to visit it.
Basic Trail Sites
- Forest — Take a Forest token into your supply
- Mountain — Take a Mountain token into your supply
- Valley — Take two Sunshine tokens into your supply
- Ocean — Take two Water tokens into your supply
- Vista — Draw a Canteen OR turn in 2 tokens to take a Photo and gain the Camera
- Waterfall (4+) — Gain 1 Sunshine and 1 Water token (only in 4+ player games)
Advanced Trail Sites
- Wildlife — Turn in any 1 token to gain a Wildlife token
- Lodge — Turn in 2 tokens and gain any other 2 tokens (excluding Wildlife)
- Lookout — Reserve or Visit a Park OR Buy a Gear card
- River — Spend 1 Water to copy the action from another Site occupied by a Hiker
Note: Trail End is not a Site.
Icon Reference
Wildlife — Wildlife comes in 12 different shapes and sizes, but all are simply considered wildlife. If there's any hint in the name, they're wild! They can be used in place of any other token to visit Parks or take Photos. Wildlife cannot be used in Canteens or toward buying Gear.
Token Symbol — A brown square icon denotes that any token may be used, and the number inside specifies how many.
Token Limit — Players can carry up to 12 tokens with them. If you have more than 12 at the end of your turn, you must discard down to 12.
Details on Actions
Canteens
When you gain a Canteen card, place it face up in front of you on the empty side. A Canteen can be filled with a token gained on a turn to take its action. To fill a Canteen, place a token gained that turn onto the Canteen instead of into your supply and perform the Canteen's action. Note: Canteens cannot be filled with a token that was not gained on that turn.
You can have any number of Canteens, and any number of your Canteens can be filled on a turn if you gain multiple tokens. Once a Canteen is filled, the token remains on it until the end of the Season and cannot be used any other way.
Photos & the Camera
To take a Photo, return any two tokens of your choice to the supply when choosing the action at the Vista. Photos are worth 1 point each. After taking a Photo at the Vista, gain the Camera from whoever currently has it.
When you have the Camera, you're on a roll! When taking a Photo, it only costs 1 token instead of 2. At the Season's end, the player with the Camera may take a Photo at its reduced price. Some Gear cards give players more photo opportunities outside of the Vista, but they do not give the player the Camera. Certain Year cards require a number of Photos to be taken.
Campfires
Sometimes, a Hiker is already at the Site you want to visit. To visit a Site that is occupied by another Hiker(s)—including your own—you must use your Campfire by flipping it over to the extinguished side. If your Campfire is extinguished, you cannot visit a Site occupied by another Hiker—including your own. A player's Campfire will relight when one of their Hikers reaches Trail End.
At the Trail End
Trail End gives Hikers a moment to reflect on the journey. When a Hiker arrives here, the player immediately relights their Campfire if it is extinguished, and then chooses one of the available areas for their Hiker—placing it vertically in the farthest right available slot of that area:
Reserve a Park
To Reserve a Park, choose one of the three available Parks on the board or draw the card on the top of the Parks deck. Place the Park card face up horizontally in front of you—keeping it separate from your vertically-stacked visited Parks. If a Park was reserved from a board slot, reveal a new Park from the Parks deck into the empty slot. When taking the Visit a Park action on a future turn, you may visit one of your reserved Parks or one of the three available on the board.
The first player to place their Hiker here also gains the First Hiker Marker as a benefit by placing their Hiker in the far right slot. After this, any number of other players may still Reserve Parks here, but they do not gain the marker. The First Hiker Marker is worth 1 point at the end of the game.
Buy Gear
Gear supplements your journey—giving extra benefits at Trail Sites or making it easier to visit certain Parks. To buy Gear cards, place your Hiker on the Buy Gear area. Select one of the three available Gear cards on the board and turn in Sunshine equal to its cost. All Gear cards have ongoing abilities, and some have an additional Instant action, activated one time immediately upon purchase. Place the Gear you acquire face up in front of you and utilize their ongoing abilities to their full potential.
In a game of 3 or fewer players, the first Hiker to Buy Gear places their Hiker on the slot without 4+ on it—this gives them a 1 Sunshine discount on their Gear purchase. After this, any number of other players may buy Gear, but do not receive the discount. In games with 4+ players, the slot farthest right is also available, so the first two Hikers to choose this option each receive a 1 Sunshine discount on their Gear card.
Visit a Park
Any number of Hikers can occupy the Visit a Park area. To Visit a Park, choose one of the three available Parks on the board or one of your Reserved Parks and turn in its corresponding tokens from your area back to the supply. Take the Park card and place it vertically in your score area. The points denoted on the Park card will be scored at the end of the game. Parks can be stacked showing their resources and points. Whenever a Park is visited on the board, reveal a new Park from the Parks deck into the empty slot.
End of a Season
Once a player's two Hikers reach Trail End they will no longer take turns for the Season. When only one Hiker is left on the Trail, the player must move the Hiker to Trail End and choose an action there. This marks the end of the Season, so the player with the Camera may take a Photo. Start a new Season through these steps:
- Empty all Canteens by returning their tokens to the supply.
- Return all Hikers to the Trailhead.
- Pick up all the Trail Sites (except for Trailhead and Trail End), and add an additional Advanced Site. Shuffle them and create the new Trail for the next Season. The Trail should now be one Site longer than the previous Season's Trail.
- Put the previous Season card on the bottom of the Season deck and reveal the new Season from the top of the Season deck. Apply the Weather Pattern to the Trail as before.
- The player with the First Hiker Marker takes the first turn of the new Season.
Last Hiker on the Trail
When only one Hiker remains on the Trail, the player must move that Hiker directly to the Trail End and choose an action there. Use this strategically to limit another player's time on the Trail.
Hiking Tip: Using your Campfire wisely can be the difference between spending more time on the Trail and missing out on certain Sites.
Game End
When the fourth Season ends with its Photo opportunity, the game is over. All players reveal their Year cards, and then score points from their Parks, Photos, and Personal Bonus for their Year. The First Hiker Marker also gives 1 point to the player who has it.
The player with the most points at the end is the winner of Parks! If tied, the win goes to the player who visited the most Parks. If still tied, the win is shared.
Park + Year Details
Park cards show: the date established, the points, the state(s), the location, the artist who illustrated the park, the tokens required to visit, and a park fact.
Year — Year cards can give a player an extra 2 or 3 points depending on how well the player accomplished their goals. One example would be: Visit 6 Parks with a symbol. This goal rewards a player 2 points if they visit 6 Park cards that have a symbol on them. Other goals often focus on taking Photos and having a specific number of symbols across a player's Visited Parks. Note: For the Year of Plenty, your goal is to have 12 (or 18) of the same symbol across your Visited Parks, but it can be any of the four types.
Common Questions
Can I visit a Site without taking its action? No. To visit a Site, you must be able to take its action. For example, if you don't have two tokens to exchange, then you cannot visit the Lodge.
Can I use Weather towards a Trail Site's action? Yes. Weather tokens on a Site are collected immediately, so they can be used towards the Trail Site's action, such as the River or Lodge.
What happens if we run out of tokens? If there is no longer a type of token in the supply, then the Site the token is linked to cannot be visited as its action cannot be taken. Once those tokens are returned to the supply, the Site becomes available again.
When can I fill a Canteen? Canteens can be filled from tokens collected on a turn. You cannot use tokens you have previously collected to fill any Canteens. You may use any token gained that turn to fill a Canteen and in any order you prefer. For example, if you gain a token from the Weather Pattern on the Vista, you may use it to fill the Canteen you just gained.
How does the Lodge work? At the Lodge, you turn in any two tokens to gain any other two—excluding Wildlife. Neither of the tokens you gain can match the ones you turned in. You may even gain two of the same type of token, as long as the ones you turned in do not match it.
Does the Lodge count toward Season Effects? Yes. For example, if you visit the Lodge during the Season of Snow and you turn in tokens to gain tokens there, then you will trigger Season of Snow's effect and gain one additional token.
Do actions on Canteens count toward Season Effects? Yes.
Can using the River activate Gear that specifies a Site? No. The River allows you to copy the action of another Site, but it doesn't count as visiting that Site directly. However, tokens gained by visiting the River still benefit from Season Effects.
Can multiple Gear cards like Maps, Compasses, and Journals be used together? Yes, each of these cards has an ongoing ability that discounts visiting a Park by one or two tokens. The effects are cumulative—meaning several can affect the cost of a single Park card. A token type on a Park can never be reduced below zero.
How do Sunscreen or Rain Gear work? These cards allow you to visit a Park using a different type of token in place of another. When visiting a Park this ability applies to the token symbols shown on the Park card (and not to the discounts from other Gear).
How does filling a Canteen for free work with the Water Bottle? When you visit the Site mentioned, you may take a token from the supply for free and place it into a Canteen to activate it.
How does Season of Rain and Splendor work? One token—depending on the Season—is added on top of each of the three available Park cards at the start of the Season. When a player Visits or Reserves a Park with a token on top, the player also gains the token. The token may even be used immediately toward the Park or in a Canteen. Do not add more tokens on the Parks that come out later in the Season.
Solo Mode Rules
Overview — The solo adventure puts you on the Trail alongside Park Rangers who move alongside you as they take care of the Trail. Enjoy your hike, but don't take too long as Events are triggered when Rangers collect enough tokens from the Weather. The goal remains the same—score as many points as possible through your Parks, Year, Photos, and First Hiker Marker.
Setup for Solo Mode
Setup remains the same with these changes:
- After shuffling the Gear deck, place it onto its slot on the board and do not reveal any Gear cards.
- When setting up the Trail, place Trail End on the SOLO side.
- After choosing your Hiker and Campfire color, choose one for the Rangers. Rangers do not need their Campfire. Place your Hikers and the Rangers at the Trailhead.
- Place the Ranger Tracker from the Event deck next to your play area. Shuffle the Event deck and place it near the Tracker. Reveal the top card from the deck so the colors line up with the Tracker. This is the current active Event card.
- You begin the game with the First Hiker Marker and the Camera.
- You're ready to start!
Solo Mode Reference
Taking Turns — Turns alternate between you and the Rangers. On your turn, choose either of your Hikers and move them down the Trail to visit a Site and take its action—following the same movement rules as multiplayer.
For the Rangers' turn, flip over the top Gear card from the deck and place it in a Gear slot: a 1-cost goes in the left-most Gear slot on the board, a 2-cost goes in the middle slot, and a 3-cost goes in the right slot. Then, move a Ranger the number of spaces equal to the Gear's cost down the Trail. When moving the Rangers, follow these rules:
- If a Hiker is ahead of both Rangers on the Trail, move the Front Ranger—the one furthest down the Trail.
- If a Ranger is ahead or tied with your Front Hiker, move the Back Ranger—the one furthest from Trail End.
- Rangers can land on a Site that is already occupied by a Ranger, but if their movement caused them to land on a Hiker, they skip to the next Site as they don't want to disturb your enjoyment of the Trail.
- You may still use your Campfire to share a site with one of your Hikers or with a Ranger.
Events — When a Ranger lands on a Weather token, collect that token and place it on the Ranger Tracker. The Tracker has two rows—the top for one type and the bottom for the other. If the Tracker receives three of the same type of Weather token, then the Event card is triggered. Resolve the action on the card that corresponds to the token row that has been filled. Then, put that Event card on the bottom of the Event deck and reveal a new active Event card. Return the three matching tokens that triggered the Event to the supply. Any other tokens on the Tracker should remain.
Event Notes: The Ranger that is moving is the Active Ranger. If an Event moves a Hiker to a Site, you do not also get its action.
Solo Trail End — Your Hikers have the same three options at Trail End: Reserve a Park, Buy Gear (at no discount), or Visit a Park. Your Campfire relights each time one of your Hikers reaches Trail End.
Rangers take unique actions at the Trail End. The three dark green slots on the left side of the Trail End tile are reserved for Rangers. The cost of the Gear that landed the Ranger at Trail End determines which action slot it takes:
- Top Slot — Discard the left-most Park on the board. The Ranger moves right to the slot and gains the First Hiker Marker if you have not already claimed the slot for the Season. If you have, then the Ranger moves to the Reserve a Park area, making the action unavailable until the next Season.
- Middle Slot — Discard the middle Park. Return the First Hiker Marker to the supply.
- Bottom Slot — Discard the right Park. Shuffle all 3-cost Gear back into the Gear deck.
Trail End Notes: If a Park card is discarded by a Ranger at Trail End, do not refill the empty slot until the end of the Season. Parks visited by Hikers are replaced from the deck like normal. If a second Ranger reaches the Trail End and would occupy the same space as the previous Ranger, nothing happens.
Last Hiker(s) or Ranger(s) on the Trail — If both of your Hikers reach the Trail End before the Rangers, all remaining Rangers are pulled to the Trail End, and do not take a Trail End action. If both Rangers reach the Trail End before your Hikers have completed their hike, all remaining Hikers on the Trail move to Trail End. Whether you have one or two Hikers remaining on the Trail, you may only choose one final action at Trail End before completing that Season.
Season End — When the Season ends, refresh any empty Park card slots that were affected by the Rangers, in addition to the regular end of the Season actions. The game ends as normal at the end of the fourth Season.
Solo Mode Scoring
- Less than 20 points — You definitely went hiking, but you missed some great Sites! Grab a map and get back out there!
- 20–24 — You're going casual now, a real enthusiast. A few more hearty conversations with your local outdoors gear shop, and you'll be jamming!
- 25–29 — You're a seasoned Hiker now. You're leaving those Parks better than you found them. The Rangers thank you!
- 30+ — Your time on the Trail was an unforgettable experience! You made memories that will last a lifetime. Congrats!
Credits & Thanks
Game Design: Henry Audubon. Game Development: Mattox Shuler, Matt Aiken, Jennifer Graham-Macht, and Kyle Key. Rule Editing: Travis D. Hill. Layout Design & Art Direction: Mattox Shuler and J.P. Boneyard (Art Director for the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series illustrations). Additional Illustrations & Meeple Design: Kyle Key and Mattox Shuler. Published by Keymaster Games. The Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series artwork appears throughout the game; see their prints at 59PARKS.NET. Resource and base trayz by Noah Adelman at Game Trayz.