National Parks in the United States

Some national parks, like Yellowstone, are so enormous you could spend two weeks exploring and still not see the whole thing. Other national parks, like Joshua Tree, can be comfortably enjoyed in one day. We have compiled a state-by-state list of 63 national parks in the United States to make planning your national park road trip a breeze!

NATIONAL PARKS IN THE U.S. BY STATE

Apart from hiking, biking, and water sports, each national park offers its own unique activities specific to the individual park. Keep reading to learn more!

ALASKA

1. Denali National Park and Preserve
   Home to the highest peak in North America – Mt. McKinley.
2. Gates of the Arctic National Park
   Northernmost national park, roughly the size of Switzerland, no established roads, visitor centers or other facilities.
3. Glacier Bay National Park
   Terrestrial and marine sanctuary, no marked trails or roads, many visit on cruise ships.
4. Katmai National Park and Preserve
   Large population of brown bears, Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, named for Mount Katmai (stratovolcano).
5. Kenai Fjords National Park
   Smallest national park of Alaska, carved by glaciers flowing from the Harding Ice Field to the sea, rugged arctic landscape.
6. Kobuk Valley National Park
   Only backcountry, half a million caribou, sand dunes.
7. Lake Clark National Park
   Active volcanoes, thundering waterfalls, birch forests and tundra.

AMERICAN SAMOA

1. National Park of American Samoa
   South pacific paradise, three volcanic islands, only U.S. national park south of the equator; tropical rainforests, beaches, coral reefs, cliffs.

ARIZONA

1. Grand Canyon National Park
   One of the symbols of America, one of the most visited national parks, largest canyons in the world.
2. Petrified Forest National Park
   Wide variety of late triassic fossils (incl. trees, ferns and giant reptiles), geological formations, forest with ancient ruins and historic buildings.
3. Saguaro National Park
   Named for the giant Saguaro Cactus, unique desert landscape and grassland.

ARKANSAS

1. Hot Springs National Park
   Smallest national park by area, known for its hot spring water and mineral pools
   
   

CALIFORNIA

1. Channel Islands National Park
   Only reachable by park concessioner boat/plane or private boats, one of the least-visited national parks, whale watching (in summer, largest gathering of blue whales in the world).
2. Death Valley National Park
   Part of the Mojave Desert, hottest and driest national park. Surprisingly diverse with sand dunes, canyons, salt flats, mountains and valleys.
3. Joshua Tree National Park
   Joshua trees, part of the Mojave Desert, teeming with life, palm oases, wildflowers.
4. Kings Canyon National Park
   Giant Sequoia Groves, High Sierra Peaks, old-growth coniferous forests.
5. Lassen Volcanic National Park
   World’s largest plug dome volcano, all four types of volcanoes in one park: plug dome, shield, cinder, stratovolcanoes.
6. Pinnacles National Park
   Central California. A park full of rock spires and pinnacles formed by multiple volcanoes that erupted 23 million years ago.
7. Redwood National Park
   Tallest trees on Earth, wild coastal deltas and gorges, colonies of sea lions.
8. Sequoia National Park
   Enormous redwood trees, five of the ten largest trees in the world, massive exposed granite walls.
9. Yosemite National Park
   Waterfalls, giant sequoias, valleys and sheer cliffs.

COLORADO

1. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
   Named for the darkness of Black Canyon, like no other canyon in North America due to narrowness, depth and sheer walls.
2. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
   Tallest sand dunes in North America, no marked hiking trails, after rain it offers possibilities for sliding down the dunes on sleds, sandboards or snowboards.
3. Mesa Verde National Park
   Cliff dwellings of the ancestral Puebloans, more than 4,000 archeological sites.
4. Rocky Mountain National Park
   Continental divide, haven for off-piste skiers in winter, can be traveled by car.

FLORIDA

1. Biscayne National Park
   Third-longest living coral reef in the world, 95% water.
2. Dry Tortugas National Park
   Many people are unaware of it as it is closer to Cuba than to the U.S. mainland, underwater wonderland.
3. Everglades National Park
   Only subtropical wilderness in the country, network of rivers and wetlands.

HAWAII

1. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
   Two volcanoes which are among the world’s most active, yet predominantly non-violent eruptions, visitors can get very close to watch.
2. Haleakalā National Park
   Cinder cones, a dormant volcano and tropical paradise.

INDIANA

1. Indiana Dunes National Park
   Sand dunes that stretch along 15 miles of Lake Michigan, but also offers 15,000 acres of forests, trails, wetlands, prairies, and rivers.

KENTUCKY

1. Mammoth Cave National Park
   Longest known caving system in the world, well-known for its cave tours.

MAINE

1. Acadia National Park
   America’s first sunrise, without having to abandon modern comforts.

MICHIGAN

1. Isle Royale National Park
   Historic shipwrecks, around the main island plus 400 smaller ones.

MINNESOTA

1. Voyageurs National Park
   Collage of hardwood tree forests and waterways.

MISSOURI

1. Gateway Arch National Park
   A 630-foot stainless steel arch built beside the Mississippi River signifying the role of the city in the Westward Expansion of the United States during the 19th century.

MONTANA

1. Glacier National Park
   Over 740 miles of trails, historic Swiss-style chalet landmarks.

NEVADA

1. Great Basin National Park
   Marble caves, paved scenic drive.

NEW MEXICO

1. Carlsbad Caverns National Park
   Impressive network of over 110 limestone caves, seventh-longest in the world, impressive bat populations.
2. White Sands National Park
   The world’s largest gypsum dune field. Over 275 square miles of bright white sand dunes

NORTH CAROLINA

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
   America’s most visited national park, named for the prevalence of fog, one of the rainiest habitats in the U.S., abundance of waterfalls, modern campsites with amenities.

NORTH DAKOTA

1. Theodore Roosevelt National Park
   View the location of Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch.

OHIO

1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park
   Waterfalls and caves along the crooked river, is among the smallest and newest national parks.

OREGON

1. Crater Lake National Park
   Deepest lake in the U.S., with exceptional purity and clarity.

SOUTH CAROLINA

1. Congaree National Park
   Largest tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in North America with river sweeping through the floodplains.

SOUTH DAKOTA

1. Badlands National Park
   Buttes, pinnacles and spires, fossils of saber tooth cats, rhinoceroses and other bygone creatures.
2. Wind Cave National Park
   Complex underground labyrinth of corridors, third-longest cave in the U.S. and fifth-longest in the world.

TENNESSEE

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
   Same as North Carolina: America’s most visited nation park, named for the prevalence of fog, one of the rainiest habitats in the U.S., abundance of waterfalls, modern campsites with amenities.

TEXAS

1. Big Bend National Park
   More than 200 miles of hiking trails across diverse terrain and scenic drives.
2. Guadalupe Mountains National Park
   A seemingly vast emptiness that is anything but empty, ancient marine fossils, highest peak in all of Texas.

UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS

1. Virgin Islands National Park
   Warm waters, white sandy beaches, wonderful coral, subtropical climate.

UTAH

1. Arches National Park
   Red rock landscape, more than 2,000 sandstone arches, natural bridges, towers, rock fins and other impressive formations.
2. Bryce Canyon National Park
   Labyrinth of hoodoos at more than 7,800 feet above sea level.
3. Canyonlands National Park
   Red, orange and yellow canyons, mesas and buttes.
4. Capitol Reef National Park
   Waterpocket Fold (“wrinkle on the earth“), in combination with crevices, canyons, domes and bridges.
5. Zion National Park
   Towering sandstone monoliths, swooping rock arches and painted canyon walls.

VIRGINIA

1. Shenandoah National Park
   Scenic Skyline Drive, located in the Appalachian mountain range

WASHINGTON

1. Mount Rainier National Park
   Tallest peak in the state (stratovolcano), talks around the campfire by park rangers.
2. North Cascades National Park
   Experience the mix of glaciers and mountains, lakes, rivers and waterfalls, temperate rainforests, marshes and swamps.
3. Olympic National Park
   Habitats ranging from coastline to dense forests, to alpine grassland and glaciers.

WEST VIRGINIA

1. New River Gorge National Park
   A whitewater river flowing through deep canyons, the New River is one of the oldest rivers on the continent. One of the newest national parks as of 2022.

WYOMING

1. Grand Teton National Park
   Majestic natural beauty and tourist-friendly convenience.
2. Yellowstone National Park
   The world’s first national park, more than half of the world’s geysers.

NATIONAL PARKS IN CANADA

While we have visited most of the national parks in the United States, Canada has its own supply of natural beauty. Canada’s geographic size is much larger than the United States, and some national parks can be found in very remote areas. While Banff and Jasper are more common national parks that can be combined with a U.S. road trip, there are quite a few unknown areas worth exploring. Find more information about Canada’s national parks here.