US National Parks List: All 63 Parks, Map & Free Printable Checklist

There are 63 national parks in the United States, and we’ve visited 56 of them, from the remote wilderness of Denali to the coral reefs of the Virgin Islands. We’re a family of avid hikers who have spent over a decade exploring these parks, from multi-day backcountry trips to scenic drives with kids in tow. We know which ones reward the effort and which are better suited to a quick stop and we’ll help you figure out which belong on your list.

Below you’ll find the complete US national parks list organized multiple ways — by state, visitation, age, and more — along with firsthand tips on each park and a free printable checklist to track your own progress.

April 2026 Update: Added updated statistics for 2025 visitation (most and least visited national parks), added a new section on how to choose the best park, and updated links to our national parks guides.

US National Parks Checklist

Here is a US national parks checklist with all 63 national parks. For a free, printable PDF version of this checklist, click here.

Ready to start planning your trip? Our US National Parks guide covers road trip itineraries, the best parks to visit by season, and everything else you need to plan your visit.”

All 63 US National Parks

Here is a brief summary about each of the 63 national parks, with interesting facts and links to more in-depth guides.

1. Acadia National Park

Acadia protects a rugged stretch of the Maine coastline, where granite cliffs drop into the Atlantic, hiking trails feature iron rungs and ladders bolted into cliff faces, and the summit of Cadillac Mountain offers one of the most famous sunrises in the country. We’ve visited multiple times and it remains one of our favorites on the East Coast. The combination of thrilling hikes, scenic drives, and the town of Bar Harbor makes it one of the most well-rounded parks in the system.

2. American Samoa

Journey to the South Pacific and visit one of the most beautiful US national parks. Because of its remote location (it’s the only US national park located in the Southern Hemisphere), it’s also one of the least visited. We spent three days here, and because of its location, is a great park to combine with Hawai’i, Fiji, or in transit to Australia or New Zealand.

This park is spread out over three islands: Tutuila, Ofu, and Ta’u. American Samoa preserves the Samoan culture, tropical rainforests, and coral reefs.

3. Arches

With more than 2,000 natural stone arches, along with fins of sandstone rock, hoodoos, and balanced rocks, Arches packs an extraordinary amount of visual drama into a relatively compact and easy-to-navigate park. We’ve spent quite a bit of time here and keep coming back. The Devils Garden Trail alone is worth the trip, and timing a visit to Delicate Arch at sunset is one of those national parks moments that stays with you.

4. Badlands

The colorful buttes, spires, and pinnacles create one of the most photogenic landscapes in the country. Bison and bighorn sheep roam the largest mixed-grass prairie in the United States. The sunrises and sunsets are magical, the hiking trails are short and sweet, and for those looking for more solitude, you can take your pick from a handful of backcountry experiences.

5. Big Bend

Tucked into the remote southwestern corner of Texas along the Mexican border, Big Bend is a vast, wild park encompassing the Chisos Mountains, the Rio Grande canyon country, and the largest protected section of the Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. Its remoteness keeps crowds low even at peak times, and it has some of our favorite off-the-beaten-path experiences in any national park — hiking the Ernst Tinaja slot canyon and crossing the river into the Mexican village of Boquillas del Carmen both stood out on our visit.

6. Biscayne

Biscayne National Park is 95% water. This park protects one of the largest reef systems in the world.

The best way to explore it is by boat, which makes it very unique from many of the other US national parks. If you love snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, or simply cruising around by boat, you will love this underrated gem of park.

7. Black Canyon of the Gunnison

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is Colorado’s least visited national park and one of the most dramatic. The canyon walls plunge nearly 2,000 feet to the Gunnison River, and in some sections the gorge is so narrow it receives only 33 minutes of sunlight per day. We hiked the Gunnison Route down to the river and it was our favorite experience in the park.

8. Bryce Canyon

The first view of the amphitheater packed with thousands of orange and pink hoodoos is genuinely one of the most surprising sights in the national park system. We absolutely love the hiking trails, and you don’t have to hike far to have an extraordinary experience. The Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop is one of the best short hikes in the US national parks and the Fairyland Loop is jaw-dropping.

9. Canyonlands

Canyonlands is Utah’s largest national park and, somewhat surprisingly, its least visited. It’s also one of our favorite parks. The sweeping canyon views from Island in the Sky rival anything in the Southwest, Mesa Arch at sunrise is iconic, and the deeper you go, the more the park rewards the effort. Driving the White Rim Road is one of our top 5 US national park experiences.

10. Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef is one of Utah’s most underrated parks. The hiking rivals Zion’s best trails, the scenic drives wind through some of the most dramatic desert landscapes in the Southwest, and the crowds are a fraction of what you’ll find at its more famous neighbors. We love the remote Cathedral Valley district for its sandstone monoliths and wide-open desert vistas, and the pie at the Gifford Homestead is a legitimately great reason to stop.

11. Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns protects an underground world of limestone chambers, stalactites, stalagmites, and massive caverns carved out over millions of years in the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico. I will be the first to admit that I’m not a cave person, but found this place unexpectedly stunning.

12. Channel Islands

Known as the “Galápagos of North America,” Channel Islands National Park protects five remote islands and the waters surrounding them. More than 2,000 plant and animal species live here, and over 145 of them exist nowhere else on earth. Santa Cruz Island is the easiest to visit and we spent one day here, kayaking through sea caves and hiking to Potato Harbor.

13. Congaree

Congaree National Park protects the oldest old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern United States. This small park is quick and easy to visit. Walk the boardwalk trail through the forest, go kayaking or canoeing on Cedar Creek, go birdwatching and fishing, and, if you like, venture farther into the park on a number of other woodland trails.

14. Crater Lake

Crater Lake is one of those parks that stops you in your tracks. The water is an almost impossibly deep blue, the result of the lake’s extraordinary depth and purity, and the views from the caldera rim are unlike anything else in the Pacific Northwest. Formed from the collapse of a volcano over 7,700 years ago, it now holds the deepest lake in the United States, and a boat trip out to Wizard Island (our favorite experience here) adds a full extra dimension to the visit.

15. Cuyahoga Valley

Cuyahoga Valley is a different kind of national park — a lush river valley tucked between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, with waterfalls, a historic scenic railroad, beaver marshes, and a network of hiking and biking trails. It doesn’t have the dramatic landscapes of the western parks, but the Ledges Trail is our favorite hike here and the park is a genuinely lovely place to spend a day, especially in fall.

16. Death Valley

Death Valley is the hottest, driest, and lowest place in the United States, and one of the most surprising national parks we’ve visited. Beyond Badwater Basin and the famous salt flats, the park hides rainbow-colored mountains on Artist’s Drive, mysterious sailing stones at Racetrack Playa, towering sand dunes, and some of the darkest skies in the country, all spread across 3.4 million acres that make it the largest national park outside of Alaska.

17. Denali

Denali is Alaska at its most raw and vast, with six million acres of wilderness built around the tallest mountain in North America, where grizzly bears, caribou, wolves, and Dall sheep roam freely along the 92-mile park road. Only about 30% of visitors actually see Denali itself due to cloud cover, so plan for at least a few days to improve your odds, and consider a flightseeing tour as a backup

18. Dry Tortugas

Dry Tortugas is 70 miles west of Key West by ferry or seaplane, and the effort to get there is absolutely worth it. The snorkeling over the coral reefs is excellent, and Fort Jefferson, the massive 19th-century military fortress at the center of the park, is unlike anything else in the national park system. Walking the old fort walls and seeing hundreds of sea turtles swimming in the ocean were the highlights for us.

19. Everglades

The Everglades is one of the most ecologically unique places on earth — a vast, slow-moving river of grass that is home to alligators, manatees, American crocodiles, and more than 300 species of birds. It’s bigger and more rewarding than most visitors expect, with one day enough to walk the Anhinga Trail, spot wildlife at Shark Valley, and get out on the water by kayak or airboat.

20. Gates of the Arctic

Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve is the least visited national park in the USA. Located in Alaska, this wild, remote national park is home to one of the most untouched wilderness areas in the country.

No roads lead into Gates of the Arctic. There aren’t even any maintained hiking trails.

Most of the travelers who visit this park do so on a guided tour, either kayaking or hiking through the park. For those who love the idea of exploring a remote wilderness, filled with wildlife and beautiful landscapes, this a park that belongs on the top of your list.

21. Gateway Arch

Gateway Arch is the smallest national park in the system at just 91 acres, and also the most different. Located in downtown St. Louis, it preserves the iconic 630-foot stainless steel arch that serves as a monument to America’s westward expansion. Riding the tram to the top is the main event.

22. Glacier Bay

At 3 million acres, Glacier Bay is one of the larger US national parks. This park protects a portion of the Inside Passage and its fjords, glaciers, and temperate rainforest.

No roads lead into this park, so to get here, you will either have to fly or take a cruise. Cruises are one of the best ways to experience this park, as you drift past glaciers and take excursions to seaside towns and hiking trails.

23. Glacier

Glacier is one of the most beautiful national parks in the country, with glacier-capped peaks, electric blue lakes, and hiking trails that rank among the best in the national park system. We’ve visited twice and keep finding reasons to go back, whether it’s driving Going-to-the-Sun Road, hiking the Highline Trail along the Continental Divide, or spending time in the Many Glacier area.

24. Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is one of those rare places that actually lives up to its reputation. The first time you step to the rim and take in the scale of what the Colorado River carved over millions of years, it genuinely stops you in your tracks. There are hundreds of miles of trails to explore, and for those who want the ultimate experience, a multi-day rim-to-rim hike or Colorado River rafting trip.

25. Grand Teton

Grand Teton delivers some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the national park system, with jagged peaks rising sharply from the valley floor, glacier-fed lakes, and the winding Snake River creating one iconic photograph after another. We’ve visited multiple times and the hiking here is exceptional, from easy strolls around Jenny Lake to the multi-day Teton Crest Trail through the heart of the range.

26. Great Basin

This park preserves the Lehman Caves and Wheeler Peak, the second highest peak in Nevada. Also found in the park are groves of bristlecone pines, which are some of the oldest species on the planet.

Despite its location in eastern Nevada, not far from Utah’s Mighty 5, Great Basin is one of the least visited national parks in the USA.

27. Great Sand Dunes

Great Sand Dunes National Park is one of those parks that is pure fun to visit. Sure, there are a few hikes to do, but the best experience is to go sandboarding or sand sledding on the dunes.

28. Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the United States, receiving more visitors annually than any other park by a wide margin. The reasons are easy to understand: it’s free to enter, accessible from several major cities, and the misty ridgelines, colorful hardwood forests, and 800 miles of hiking trails offer something for everyone. We visited in early November to catch the fall colors and found the park genuinely beautiful, even with the crowds.

29. Guadalupe Mountains

Guadalupe Mountains is one of the most hiking-focused parks in the system and almost everything here requires getting on a trail, with very little to see from the road. But that’s exactly what makes it a great park for those who want to earn their views. Guadalupe Peak at 8,751 feet is the highest point in Texas and the Devil’s Hall Trail features rock scrambling and a slot canyon.

30. Haleakala

Haleakala is a massive shield volcano that makes up more than 75% of the island of Maui, and it contains two completely different national park experiences: the otherworldly summit crater at over 10,000 feet, and the lush waterfall-filled Kīpahulu District along the Road to Hana. We’ve watched the sunrise above the clouds from the summit twice and it’s one of the most memorable experiences we’ve had in any national park, though you need a timed entry reservation and an early wake-up call to make it happen.

31. Hawai’i Volcanoes

Hawai’i Volcanoes is home to two of the world’s most active volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kīlauea, and if your timing is right, you can witness molten lava actively creating new land, which is unlike anything else in the national park system.

32. Hot Springs

Hot Springs National Park is one of the most accessible national parks in the US. This land was set aside in the 1800’s to preserve the hot springs, which were believed to have medicinal properties. Soaking in these hot springs is the best thing to do on a visit to this park, but you can also go hiking, biking, and birding.

33. Indiana Dunes

Indiana Dunes sits along the southern shore of Lake Michigan just an hour from Chicago, and while it may not have the drama of the western parks, it is a very biodiverse national park, with beaches, wetlands, prairies, and forests all within a few miles of each other. The 3 Dune Challenge in the adjacent state park is a deceptively tough climb, and the Paul H. Douglas Trail is one of the most unexpectedly beautiful hikes we’ve done in a Midwest park.

34. Isle Royale

Isle Royale is an archipelago of over 400 islands. It’s remote location in northern Michigan makes in one of the least visited national parks in the USA. Top experiences include backpacking and camping, fishing, canoeing, and kayaking.

35. Joshua Tree

With its desert scenery, hiking trails, rock climbing routes, hidden oases, scenic drives, and trees that look like they have been plucked from the pages of a Dr. Seuss book, Joshua Tree National Park is a joy to explore.

36. Katmai

Katmai is one of our favorite national parks, not for its scenery alone, but because watching brown bears fish for salmon at Brooks Falls is one of the most extraordinary wildlife experiences available anywhere in the national park system. Beyond the bears, the park also preserves the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, the ash-covered remnant of the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, which adds a haunting, otherworldly dimension to the visit.

37. Kenai Fjords

Kenai Fjords National Park, which is located in Alaska, preserves and protects the Harding Icefield, which is the largest icefield that is located entirely within the United States.

Hiking, glacier kayaking, and ice climbing on the Exit Glacier are popular activities in this park, but Kenai Fjord is also one of the best US national parks for wildlife spotting. On land, you can see moose, black bears, brown bears, and wolves. Sea lions, seals, dolphins, humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, and fin whales can be spotted in the sea. In the sky, look for bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and tufted and horned puffins.

38. Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon sits side by side with Sequoia National Park in central California, sharing the same landscape of alpine peaks, deep river canyons, and the largest trees in the world. The General Grant Tree, the second largest tree on earth, alone makes the visit worthwhile, and the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway winding down into the canyon is a dramatic drive in the California parks.

39. Kobuk Valley

Kobuk Valley National Park is located to the west of Gates of the Arctic. This national park preserves the enormous Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and caribou migration routes.

This park is located within the Arctic Circle, so like Gates of the Arctic, in early July, you can see the midnight sun. No roads lead into the park, so to get here, you will take a flight from a nearby town. It’s one of the least visited national parks in the USA, getting just a handful more visitors than Gates of the Artic.

40. Lake Clark

Lake Clark is one of the least visited national parks in the country. There are no roads into the park, and getting here requires a float plane or bush plane from Anchorage or Homer. What you find on arrival is two active volcanoes, glacier-covered mountains, turquoise lakes, and coastal brown bears going clamming along the Cook Inlet shoreline, making it one of the most unspoiled wilderness experiences in the entire national park system.

41. Lassen Volcanic

Lassen Volcanic is one of California’s most underrated national parks. It’s the only national park in the world containing all four types of volcanoes, and the landscape of steaming fumaroles, boiling mud pots, and lava fields at Bumpass Hell feels genuinely otherworldly. Hiking to the summit of Lassen Peak, the world’s largest plug dome volcano, is the ultimate experience here and one of the better summit hikes in the California parks.

42. Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest cave system, with over 400 miles of explored passageways winding through the limestone bedrock of Kentucky and new sections are still being discovered. Unlike caves famous for their stalactites and stalagmites, Mammoth Cave impresses through sheer scale, with enormous subterranean rooms and corridors that earned it the description “grand, gloomy, and peculiar,” and the range of ranger-guided tours means you can tailor the experience to your fitness level and sense of adventure.

43. Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde is the only national park in the United States dedicated primarily to preserving the works of people rather than landscape, specifically, the extraordinary cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloan people, who built entire communities into the sandstone alcoves of the canyon walls around 700 years ago.

44. Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is a glacier-capped, active volcano that can be seen from hundreds of miles away. In the summer months, the lower slopes are carpeted with wildflowers. With its old growth forests and network of hiking trails, this is an outdoor paradise for many travelers, ourselves included. It’s also one of the best parks to visit if you are an avid hiker.

45. New River Gorge

New River Gorge became the 63rd national park in December 2020, protecting a dramatic sandstone gorge in West Virginia that is world-class for both rock climbing and whitewater rafting. The gorge is also one of the best fall foliage destinations in the East, the hiking trails are short and accessible, and the iconic New River Gorge Bridge, one of the longest steel arch bridges in the world, is a landmark worth seeing in its own right.

46. North Cascades

North Cascades is one of the least visited national parks in the country despite being just a few hours from Seattle, and for hikers willing to seek it out, it is extraordinary, with jagged snow-capped peaks, more than 300 glaciers, and 400 miles of trails through some of the most wild and remote terrain in the lower 48. Diablo Lake’s improbable emerald color and the Maple Pass Loop are both worth the drive, and the Sahale Arm hike is one of the best day hikes we’ve done in Washington state.

47. Olympic

Olympic National Park is one of the most diverse national parks in the United States. In just one national park, you can climb peaks as high as 8,000 feet, walk through old growth temperate rainforests, and stroll along beaches littered with driftwood. Hurricane Ridge was our favorite section for the sweeping mountain views, but the moss-draped Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rainforest and the sea stacks at Ruby Beach are both experiences that don’t exist anywhere else in the national park system.

48. Petrified Forest

Petrified Forest beat all of our expectations. We arrived anticipating a barren desert and instead found the colorful hills of the Painted Desert, ancient petrified logs dating back 225 million years that genuinely puzzle the mind, and backcountry trails where we didn’t see another person for miles. It’s a small park that takes just one day to explore, and it’s one of the most underrated stops on a Southwest road trip.

49. Pinnacles

Pinnacles is one of California’s least visited national parks despite sitting within a few hours of San Francisco, and it’s an absolute joy, with thrilling trails that involve rock scrambling and ladder climbs through the High Peaks, talus caves formed from ancient rockfalls, and the chance to see California Condors soaring overhead, one of the rarest birds in the world. We loved this park and the High Peaks Trail Loop is one of our favorite day hikes in the California parks.

50. Redwood

Redwood National and State Parks protect some of the last remaining old-growth coastal redwood forests in the world, where trees reach over 300 feet tall and some are more than 2,000 years old. Walking among them genuinely feels like stepping into another world. The Stout Memorial Grove trail was our favorite experience in the park, an easy walk through one of the most impressive redwood groves anywhere.

51. Rocky Mountain

Rocky Mountain is one of the most popular national parks in the country for good reason — Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved through road in the national park system, crests above 12,000 feet with sweeping views of the Rockies, and the hiking here is exceptional, from easy strolls around alpine lakes to the demanding summit of Longs Peak, the park’s only fourteener at 14,259 feet. It’s also one of the best parks for wildlife, with elk and bighorn sheep frequently spotted along the road.

52. Saguaro

Saguaro National Park surrounds the city of Tucson, Arizona, protecting the largest cactus in the United States, the Saguaro, which grows only in the Sonoran Desert, can live up to 200 years, and can reach heights of 40 feet or more. The park is split into two separate districts on either side of Tucson, each with its own scenic drive and hiking trails, and a half day is really all you need to see the highlights.

53. Sequoia

Sequoia National Park protects the largest trees on earth by volume — the giant sequoias — including General Sherman, the single largest living tree in the world. We visited alongside neighboring Kings Canyon in a single long day from Yosemite and the experience of standing at the base of these ancient giants, some over 2,000 years old, is genuinely humbling in a way that photographs never quite capture.

54. Shenandoah

Shenandoah runs along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, just 75 miles from Washington D.C., making it one of the most accessible national parks on the East Coast. We visit frequently, given how close it is to home. Skyline Drive is a beautiful scenic route year-round, the fall foliage is among the best of any park in the East, and hikes like Old Rag and Bearfence Mountain offer real challenge and reward.

55. Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt National Park preserves the rugged North Dakota badlands where the 26th president ranched in the 1880s. This is a landscape of colorful buttes, prairie grasslands, and the winding Little Missouri River, which you can hike along or explore by scenic drive. Wildlife is abundant here, with bison, feral horses, elk, and prairie dogs all frequently spotted, and the Caprock Coulee Trail was our favorite hike in the park.

56. Virgin Islands

With pristine beaches, snorkeling spots, and secluded coves, Virgin Islands National Park is one of the most beautiful parks we have visited.

Virgin Islands is one of the few parks that when you are here, it really does feel like you are on vacation. Sip on tropical drinks in the shade of a palm tree, go stand up paddle boarding, visit the historic landmarks, or go for a hike. Or, simply spend all of your time lounging under a palm tree on a white, sandy beach.

57. Voyageurs

Voyageurs National Park protects the waterways, wetlands, and forests in northern Minnesota. This park sits right on the Canadian border and due to its location, the Northern Lights can be seen all year long, even in summer.

58. White Sands

White Sands National Park is home to the largest gypsum dunefield in the world. These pure white dunes create a fun place to explore, for both kids and adults. Hike out into the dunes, learn about the wildlife that calls this park home, and go sledding on sand as white as the snow. We spent two full days here exploring beyond the popular trails and found it one of the most photogenic and surprisingly fun parks in the system.

59. Wind Cave

Wind Cave offers two completely different national park experiences in one visit — a ranger-guided tour through one of the world’s longest cave systems, famous for its rare boxwork cave formations, and a scenic drive through rolling prairie where bison, elk, and prairie dogs roam freely above ground. It’s a compact and easy park to visit, located in South Dakota’s Black Hills alongside Badlands and Mount Rushmore.

60. Wrangell-St. Elias

Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the United States — at 13 million acres, it is six times the size of Yellowstone — and contains the largest concentration of glaciers in North America, nine of the sixteen highest peaks in the US, and some of the most remote and spectacular wilderness anywhere in the world. This is one of our favorite national parks, and the flightseeing tours over the glaciers and mountain ranges are among the most awe-inspiring experiences we’ve had anywhere.

61. Yellowstone

Yellowstone is the world’s first national park and still one of the most extraordinary. Half of the world’s geothermal features are concentrated here, from Old Faithful to the electric blue of Grand Prismatic Spring to the bubbling mud pots of Fountain Paint Pots, and the wildlife viewing in Lamar and Hayden Valleys is some of the best on the continent. Every time we visit, it amazes us even more — the sheer variety of what this park contains is unlike anything else in the system.

62. Yosemite

Yosemite Valley, framed by El Capitan and Half Dome with waterfalls tumbling down granite walls on all sides, is one of the most iconic landscapes on earth, and it fully lives up to the photos. We’ve visited multiple times and keep finding new things, from the crowds-free Tuolumne Meadows on Tioga Road to standing on top of Half Dome, which remains our favorite viewpoint in the park.

63. Zion

Zion is a hiker’s park above all else. Angels Landing and the Narrows are two of the most famous hikes in the entire national park system, and both absolutely deserve their reputations. It is one of the most visited parks in the country, so crowds are real, but the canyon scenery is extraordinary and there are enough trails at varying difficulty levels that everyone from first-time hikers to experienced canyoneers will find something that suits them.

National Parks By State

Next is a US national parks list, organized by state. Some states have many national parks (California tops the list with 9, Alaska comes in second place with 8), and not every state has a national park.

Some national parks cross a border. For example: Yellowstone is mainly located in Wyoming but it also crosses the border into Montana and Idaho. So technically, Idaho has a national park.

Here is a list of states with no national parks: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Here are all 63 national parks, organized by state (the states are in alphabetical order). Only the states that contain a national park are on this list.

• ALASKA: Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, and Wrangell-St. Elias
• ARIZONA: Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Saguaro
• ARKANSAS: Hot Springs
• CALIFORNIA: Channel Islands, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles, Redwood, Sequoia, and Yosemite
• COLORADO: Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, and Rocky Mountain
• FLORIDA: Biscayne, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades
• HAWAII: Haleakala and Hawai’i Volcanoes
• IDAHO: Yellowstone
• INDIANA: Indiana Dunes
• KENTUCKY: Mammoth Cave
• MAINE: Acadia
• MICHIGAN: Isle Royale
• MINNESOTA: Voyageurs
• MISSOURI: Gateway Arch
• MONTANA: Glacier and Yellowstone
• NEVADA: Great Basin
• NEW MEXICO: Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands
• NORTH CAROLINA: Great Smoky Mountains
• NORTH DAKOTA: Theodore Roosevelt
• OHIO: Cuyahoga Valley
• OREGON: Crater Lake
• SOUTH CAROLINA: Congaree
• SOUTH DAKOTA: Badlands and Wind Cave
• TENNESSEE: Great Smoky Mountains
• TEXAS: Big Bend and Guadalupe Mounatains
• UTAH: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion
• VIRGINIA: Shenandoah
• WASHINGTON: Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic
• WEST VIRGINIA: New River Gorge
• WYOMING: Grand Teton and Yellowstone
• AMERICAN SAMOA: National Park of the American Samoa
• US VIRGIN ISLANDS: Virgin Islands National Park

US National Parks that Require a Reservation

As of April 2026, there are eight National Parks and one National Monument that require an advance reservation.

Here is the list of National Parks that require a reservation:

• Acadia National Park
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Haleakala National Park
• Glacier National Park
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Shenandoah National Park
• Yosemite National Park
• Zion National Park
• Muir Woods

These parks either require a timed entry reservation, an advance reservation for a hiking trail, or an advance reservation to drive a scenic road. Learn more in our guide to the National Parks that require advance reservations.

Yosemite National Park

How Many National Park Units are in the USA?

At the time of the most recent update of this article, there are 433 national park units in the United States.

In order to be a national park unit, that site must meet specific criteria relating to its national significance, suitability, and feasibility. Once the unit is found to meet these criteria, the national park unit is established by an act of Congress.

There are many different types of national park units, sites such as National Battlefield Parks, National Preserves, National Monuments, National Lakeshores, and National Historical Parks, just to name a few.

And then there is the designation “National Park.”

What Does it Take to Be a National Park?

To be a national park, the unit contains a wide variety of resources and is generally an area of natural and/or cultural importance. In a national park, the land and its resources are protected and there are many restrictions on how that land can be used. In most national parks, practices that alter the landscape, such as mining, drilling, and hunting are not allowed.

A national preserve is very similar to a national park. A national preserve typically protects specific resources but there are fewer restrictions on how the land can be used. Hunting, fishing, and mining are permitted, just as long as these do not affect the resource that the national preserve protects.

There are several national park and national preserve combinations, such as Denali National Park & Preserve and Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.

A national monument is typically smaller than a national park and a national preserve and only protects one specific resource.

In summary, a “national park” is generally a large area of land that contains a wide variety of resources and/or historical or cultural sites, and that land is protected from activities that would alter the landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many national parks are in the USA?

There are 63 national parks in the United States.

Is there a national park in every state?

No, there is not a national park in every state. 20 states do not have a national park: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

What state has the most national parks?

California has the most national parks, with a total of 9: Channel Islands, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles, Redwood, Sequoia, and Yosemite.

What are the most visited national parks?

Visitation varies by year. In 2023, the top 5 most visited national parks in the United States were Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Zion, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain National Parks.

What are the least visited national parks?

In 2023, the five least visited national parks in the USA were Gates of the Arctic, National Park of the American Samoa, Lake Clark, Kobuk Valley, and Isle Royal National Parks.

Is the America the Beautiful Pass worth it?

For most national park visitors, yes. The pass costs $80 per year for US residents ($250 for non-US residents) and covers one vehicle’s entrance fee at all 63 national parks, plus all other national park units, Bureau of Land Management sites, National Forests, and more. Since most national park entrance fees run $30-35 per vehicle, the pass pays for itself after just three visits. If you’re planning a road trip through multiple parks, or visiting even a handful of parks in a year, it’s a no-brainer.

If you have any questions about these US national parks lists or how to plan a national parks trip, let us know in the comment section below.

More National Parks Resources

Planning your trip: Our US National Parks guide is the best place to start, with road trip itineraries, the best parks to visit by season, and reservation information for every park.

Itineraries: Looking for a structured road trip plan? Our national park itineraries page covers single and multi-day itineraries for destinations across the country, including the American Southwest, Alaska, and more.

Our favorite parks: Not sure which parks to prioritize? Read our honest take on the best national parks in the USA — a few on the list may surprise you.

Best national parks for families: We’ve been hiking the parks with our kids for years. Here are the best national parks for families.

Reservations: A growing number of parks require advance reservations. Get the current list in our guide to national parks that require reservations.

Best time to visit: Our national parks by month series covers every park with the best time to go, crowd levels, and seasonal highlights.

20 Epic Hikes in the US National Parks

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20 Fun, Short Hikes in the US National Parks

One of the best ways to experience the national parks is from a hiking trail. Hike to amazing viewpoints, deep into the forests, through scenic canyons, and to hidden lakes and waterfalls. Along the way, you have a better chance of spotting wildlife and potentially leaving the crowds behind. Here are 20 fun, short hikes […]

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If you are planning a family vacation in the United States, the national parks make an excellent destination. There are currently 63 national parks in the USA…that’s a lot to choose from. We have narrowed down the list to 12 great national parks to take the kids. When you are traveling with kids, you want […]

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With four national parks, numerous national forests and state parks, plus historic towns scattered throughout the Rocky Mountains, Colorado makes an awesome road trip destination. On this Colorado itinerary, you will visit all four national parks (Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Rocky Mountain National Parks), linking them together with […]

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The American Southwest is a playground for hikers, photographers, and adventurers. Fun to explore and extremely photogenic, slot canyons provide a unique hiking experience. We have assembled a short list of some of the best slot canyons in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. This is not an all-inclusive list, because there are tons of slot canyons […]

7 – 10 Day Florida Keys Itinerary: Miami, Key West & the National Parks

Driving from Miami to Key West is one of the best road trips in the USA. White sandy beaches, palm trees, beautiful aquamarine water, warm sunny skies…sounds nice, right? Add in tropical drinks, alfresco dining, a few slices of key lime pie, a national park or two (or even three), and some of the most […]

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