List of U.S. National Parks

U.S. National Parks.

The United States has 62 protected areas known as national parks that are operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. National parks must be established by an act of the United States Congress. A bill creating the first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Many current national parks had been previously protected as national monuments by the president under the Antiquities Act before being upgraded by Congress. Seven national parks (including six in Alaska) are paired with a national preserve, areas with different levels of protection that are administered together but considered separate units and whose areas are not included in the figures below. Criteria for the selection of national parks include natural beauty, unique geological features, unusual ecosystems, and recreational opportunities (though these criteria are not always considered together). National monuments, on the other hand, are frequently chosen for their historical or archaeological significance. Fourteen national parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS), while 21 national parks are designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR). Eight national parks are designated in both UNESCO programs.

Twenty-nine states have national parks, as do the territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. California has the most with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over Template:Convert, it is larger than each of the nine smallest states. The next three largest parks are also in Alaska. The smallest park is Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri, at approximately Template:Convert. The total area protected by national parks is approximately Template:Convert, for an average of Template:Convert but a median of only Template:Convert.

The national parks set a visitation record in 2017, with more than 84 million visitors and set a further record in 2018 with a 0.1% increase. The most-visited national park is Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee, with over 11.3 million visitors in 2017, followed by Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park, with over 6.2 million. In contrast, only 11,177 people visited the remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska in the same year.

A few former national parks are no longer designated as such, or have been disbanded. Other units of the National Park Service (Template:National Park Units altogether) while broadly referred to as national parks within the National Park System do not hold the formal designation in their title.

National parks

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Name	Image	Location	Date established as park	Area (2019)	Recreation visitors (2019)	Description
Acadia	File:Bass Harbor Head Light Station 2016.jpg	Maine Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	3,437,286	Covering most of Mount Desert Island and other coastal islands, Acadia features the tallest mountain on the Atlantic coast of the United States, granite peaks, ocean shoreline, woodlands, and lakes. There are freshwater, estuary, forest, and intertidal habitats.
American Samoa	File:Ofu Beach NPS.jpg	American Samoa Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	60,006	The southernmost national park is on three Samoan islands and protects coral reefs, rainforests, volcanic mountains, and white beaches. The area is also home to flying foxes, brown boobies, sea turtles, and 900 species of fish.
Arches	File:Delicatearch1.jpg	Utah Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,659,702	This site features more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, with some of the most popular arches in the park being Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch and Double Arch. Millions of years of erosion have created these structures located in a desert climate where the arid ground has life-sustaining biological soil crusts and potholes that serve as natural water-collecting basins. Other geologic formations include stone pinnacles, fins, and balancing rocks.
Badlands	File:BadlandsView3.jpg	South Dakota Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	970,998	The Badlands are a collection of buttes, pinnacles, spires, and mixed-grass prairies. The White River Badlands contain the largest assemblage of known late Eocene and Oligocene mammal fossils. The wildlife includes bison, bighorn sheep, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs.
Big Bend Template:Dagger	File:Big Bend National Park PB112573.jpg	Texas Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	463,832	Named for the prominent bend in the Rio Grande along the U.S.–Mexico border, this park encompasses a large and remote part of the Chihuahuan Desert. Its main attraction is backcountry recreation in the arid Chisos Mountains and in canyons along the river. A wide variety of Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils as well as cultural artifacts of Native Americans also exist within its borders. (BR)
Biscayne	File:Biscayne NP snorkeling.jpg	Florida Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	708,522	Located in Biscayne Bay, this park at the north end of the Florida Keys has four interrelated marine ecosystems: mangrove forest, the Bay, the Keys, and coral reefs. Threatened animals include the West Indian manatee, American crocodile, various sea turtles, and peregrine falcon.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison	File:Black canyon gunnison Colorado.jpg	Colorado Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	432,818	The park protects a quarter of the Gunnison River, which slices sheer canyon walls from dark Precambrian-era rock. The canyon features some of the steepest cliffs and oldest rock in North America, and is a popular site for river rafting and rock climbing. The deep, narrow canyon is composed of gneiss and schist which appears black when in shadow.
Bryce Canyon	File:Bryce Canyon Hoodoos Amphitheater.jpg	Utah Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	2,594,904	Bryce Canyon is a geological amphitheater on the Paunsaugunt Plateau with hundreds of tall, multicolored sandstone hoodoos formed by erosion. The region was originally settled by Native Americans and later by Mormon pioneers.
Canyonlands	File:Canyonlands National Park…Needles area (6294480744).jpg	Utah Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	733,996	This landscape was eroded into a maze of canyons, buttes, and mesas by the combined efforts of the Colorado River, Green River, and their tributaries, which divide the park into three districts. The park also contains rock pinnacles and arches, as well as artifacts from Ancient Pueblo peoples.
Capitol Reef	File:Cassidy Arch, Capitol Reef National Park.JPG	Utah Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,226,519	The park's Waterpocket Fold is a Template:Convert monocline that exhibits the earth's diverse geologic layers. Other natural features include monoliths, cliffs, and sandstone domes shaped like the United States Capitol.
Carlsbad Caverns *	File:Carlsbad Interior Formations.jpg	New Mexico Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	440,691	Carlsbad Caverns has 117 caves, the longest of which is over Template:Convert long. The Big Room is almost Template:Convert long, and the caves are home to over 400,000 Mexican free-tailed bats and sixteen other species. Above ground are the Chihuahuan Desert and Rattlesnake Springs. (WHS)
Channel Islands Template:Dagger	File:Santa Cruz Island CA DSC 4323 ad.JPG	California Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	409,630	Five of the eight Channel Islands are protected, with half of the park's area underwater. The islands have a unique Mediterranean ecosystem originally settled by the Chumash people. They are home to over 2,000 species of land plants and animals, 145 endemic to them, including the island fox. Ferry services offer transportation to the islands from the mainland. (BR)
Congaree Template:Dagger	File:Bald cypress and creek (7166139814).jpg	South Carolina Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	159,445	On the Congaree River, this park is the largest portion of old-growth floodplain forest left in North America. Some of the trees are the tallest in the eastern United States. An elevated walkway called the Boardwalk Loop guides visitors through the swamp. (BR)
Crater Lake	File:Crater lake oregon.jpg	Oregon Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	704,512	Crater Lake lies in the caldera of an ancient volcano called Mount Mazama that collapsed 7,700 years ago. The lake is the deepest in the United States and is noted for its vivid blue color and water clarity. Wizard Island and the Phantom Ship are more recent volcanic formations within the caldera. As the lake has no inlets or outlets, the lake is replenished only by precipitation.
Cuyahoga Valley	File:Cuyahoga Valley National Park 03.jpg	Ohio Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	2,237,997	This park along the Cuyahoga River has waterfalls, hills, trails, and exhibits on early rural living. The Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail follows the Ohio and Erie Canal, where mules towed canal boats. The park has numerous historic homes, bridges, and structures, and also offers a scenic train ride.
Death Valley Template:Dagger	File:Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley.jpg	California, Nevada Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,740,945	Death Valley is the hottest, lowest, and driest place in the United States, with daytime temperatures that have exceeded 130 °F (54 °C). The park protects Badwater Basin and its vast salt flats located at the lowest elevation in North America, Template:Convert. The park also protects canyons, badlands, sand dunes, mountain ranges, historic mines, springs, and more than 1000 species of plants which grow in this geologic graben. (BR)
Denali Template:Dagger	File:Mount McKinley and Denali National Park Road 2048px.jpg	Alaska Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	601,152	Centered on Denali, the tallest and highest prominence mountain in North America, Denali is serviced by a single road leading to Wonder Lake. Denali and other peaks of the Alaska Range are covered with long glaciers and boreal forest. Wildlife includes grizzly bears, Dall sheep, Porcupine caribou, and wolves. (BR)
Dry Tortugas Template:Dagger	File:Fort-Jefferson Dry-Tortugas.jpg	Florida Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	79,200	The islands of the Dry Tortugas, at the westernmost end of the Florida Keys, are the site of Fort Jefferson, a Civil War-era fort that is the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere. The park is home to undisturbed coral reefs and shipwrecks, and is only accessible by plane or boat. (BR)
Everglades Template:Double dagger	File:Everglades National Park cypress.jpg	Florida Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,118,300	The Everglades are the largest tropical wilderness in the United States. This mangrove and tropical rainforest ecosystem and marine estuary is home to 36 protected species, including the Florida panther, American crocodile, and West Indian manatee. Some areas have been drained and developed; restoration projects aim to restore the ecology. (WHS) (BR)
Gates of the Arctic	File:GatesofArctic.jpg	Alaska Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	10,518	The country's northernmost park protects an expanse of pure wilderness in Alaska's Brooks Range and has no park facilities. The land is home to Alaska Natives who have relied on the land and caribou for 11,000 years.
Gateway Arch	File:St Louis night expblend.jpg	Missouri Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	2,055,309	The Gateway Arch is a Template:Convert (both high and wide) catenary arch built to commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition, initiated by Thomas Jefferson, and the subsequent westward expansion of the country. The nearby Old Courthouse, across a greenway to the west of the arch, was the first site of the Dred Scott case about slavery. A museum, located in the underground visitor center below the arch, describes the arch's construction and the country's westward expansion.
Glacier Template:Double dagger	File:St Mary Lake - Wild goose Island.jpg	Montana Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	3,049,839	The U.S. half of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, this park includes 26 glaciers and 130 named lakes surrounded by Rocky Mountain peaks. There are historic hotels and a landmark road called the Going-to-the-Sun Road in this region of rapidly receding glaciers. The local mountains, formed by an overthrust, expose Paleozoic fossils including trilobites, mollusks, giant ferns and dinosaurs. (WHS) (BR) The park is also home to Triple Divide Peak, which forms the boundary between the watersheds of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans.
Glacier Bay Template:Double dagger	File:GlacierBay3.jpg	Alaska Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	672,087	Glacier Bay contains tidewater glaciers, mountains, fjords, and a temperate rainforest, and is home to large populations of grizzly bears, mountain goats, whales, seals, and eagles. When discovered in 1794 by George Vancouver, the entire bay was covered by ice, but the glaciers have since receded more than Template:Convert. (WHS) (BR)
Grand Canyon *	File:USA 09847 Grand Canyon Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg	Arizona Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	5,974,411	The Grand Canyon, carved by the mighty Colorado River, is Template:Convert long, up to 1 mile (1.6 km) deep, and up to Template:Convert wide. Millions of years of erosion have exposed the multicolored layers of the Colorado Plateau in mesas and canyon walls, visible from both the north and south rims, or from a number of trails that descend into the canyon itself. (WHS)
Grand Teton Template:Dagger	File:Teton Range from Glacier View Turnout-closeup.JPG	Wyoming Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	3,405,614	Grand Teton is the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. The park's historic Jackson Hole and reflective piedmont lakes teem with endemic wildlife, with a backdrop of craggy mountains that rise abruptly from the sage-covered valley. (BR)
Great Basin	File:Prometheus Wheeler.jpg	Nevada Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	131,802	Based around Nevada's second tallest mountain, Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park contains 5,000-year-old bristlecone pines, a rock glacier, and the limestone Lehman Caves. Due to its remote location, the park has some of the country's darkest night skies. Wildlife includes the Townsend's big-eared bat, pronghorn, and Bonneville cutthroat trout.
Great Sand Dunes	File:Coloradodunes.jpg	Colorado Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	527,546	The tallest sand dunes in North America, up to Template:Convert tall, were formed by deposits of the ancient Rio Grande in the San Luis Valley. Abutting a variety of grasslands, shrublands, and wetlands, the park also has alpine lakes, six 13,000-foot mountains, and old-growth forests.
Great Smoky Mountains Template:Double dagger	File:Fall at Oconaluftee Overlook.JPG	North Carolina, Tennessee Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	12,547,743	The Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountains, span a wide range of elevations, making them home to over 400 vertebrate species, 100 tree species, and 5000 plant species. Hiking is the park's main attraction, with over Template:Convert of trails, including Template:Convert of the Appalachian Trail. Other activities include fishing, horseback riding, and touring nearly 80 historic structures. (WHS) (BR)
Guadalupe Mountains	File:West face of Guadalupe Mountains at sunset 2006.jpg	Texas Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	188,833	This park contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, as well as the scenic McKittrick Canyon filled with bigtooth maples, a corner of the arid Chihuahuan Desert, and a fossilized coral reef from the Permian era.
Haleakalā Template:Dagger	File:Haleakala Crater.jpg	Hawaii Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	994,394	The Haleakalā volcano on Maui features a very large crater with numerous cinder cones, Hosmer's Grove of alien trees, the Kipahulu section's scenic pools of freshwater fish, and the native Hawaiian goose. The park protects the greatest number of endangered species within a U.S. National Park. (BR)
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Template:Double dagger	File:Puu Oo cropped.jpg	Hawaii Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,368,376	This park on the Big Island protects the Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, two of the world's most active geological features. Diverse ecosystems range from tropical forests at sea level to barren lava beds at more than Template:Convert. (WHS) (BR)
Hot Springs	File:Hots Springs National Park aerial.jpg	Arkansas Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,467,153	Hot Springs was established as a federal reserve by Congress on April 20, 1832—the oldest area managed by the National Park Service. Congress redesignated Hot Springs as a national park on March 4, 1921. Natural hot springs flow out of the Ouachita Mountains, providing opportunities for relaxation in a historic setting. Bathhouse Row preserves numerous examples of 19th-century architecture. Hot Springs is the first national park in a city and was the smallest national park until February 22, 2018 when the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial was redesignated Gateway Arch National Park.
Indiana Dunes	File:2010-11-26 3060x2040 portage indiana dunes.jpg	Indiana Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	2,134,285	Previously designated a national lakeshore, the dunes run for nearly Template:Convert along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. The sandy beach adjoins a grassy prairie, bog, and wetlands home to over 2,000 species.
Isle Royale Template:Dagger	File:IsleRoyalePlane.jpg	Michigan Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	26,410	The largest island in Lake Superior is a place of isolation and wilderness. Along with its many shipwrecks, waterways, and hiking trails, the park also includes over 400 smaller islands within Template:Convert of its shores. There are only 20 mammal species on the entire island, though the relationship between its wolf and moose populations is especially unique. (BR)
Joshua Tree Template:Dagger	File:Joshua Tree - Rock formation in Real Hidden Valley 1.jpg	California Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	2,988,547	Covering large areas of the Colorado and Mojave Deserts and the Little San Bernardino Mountains, this desert landscape is populated by vast stands of Joshua trees. Large changes in elevation reveal various contrasting environments including bleached sand dunes, dry lakes, rugged mountains, and maze-like clusters of monzogranite monoliths. (BR)
Katmai	File:Brown bears brooks falls.jpg	Alaska Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	84,167	This park on the Alaska Peninsula protects the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, an ash flow formed by the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, as well as Mount Katmai. Over 2,000 grizzly bears come here each year to catch spawning salmon. Other wildlife includes caribou, wolves, moose, and wolverines.
Kenai Fjords	File:Exit Glacier Jul09.JPG	Alaska Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	356,601	Near Seward on the Kenai Peninsula, this park protects the Harding Icefield and at least 38 glaciers and fjords stemming from it. The only area accessible to the public by road is Exit Glacier; the rest must be viewed or reached from boat tours.
Kings Canyon Template:Dagger	File:KingsCanyonNP.JPG	California Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	632,110	Home to several giant sequoia groves and the General Grant Tree, the world's second largest measured tree, this park also features part of the Kings River, sculptor of the dramatic granite canyon that is its namesake, and the San Joaquin River, as well as Boyden Cave. Although Kings Canyon National Park was designated as such in 1940, it subsumed General Grant National Park, which had been established on October 1, 1890 as the United States' fourth national park.(BR)
Kobuk Valley	File:Agie River.jpg	Alaska Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	15,766	Kobuk Valley protects Template:Convert of the Kobuk River and three regions of sand dunes. Created by glaciers, the Great Kobuk, Little Kobuk, and Hunt River Sand Dunes can reach Template:Convert high and Template:Convert, and they are the largest dunes in the Arctic. Twice a year, half a million caribou migrate through the dunes and across river bluffs that expose well-preserved ice age fossils.
Lake Clark	File:Lake Clark National Park.jpg	Alaska Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	17,157	The region around Lake Clark features four active volcanoes, including Mount Redoubt, as well as an abundance of rivers, glaciers, and waterfalls. Temperate rainforests, a tundra plateau, and three mountain ranges complete the landscape.
Lassen Volcanic	File:Lake Helen - Flickr - Joe Parks.jpg	California Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	517,039	Lassen Peak, the largest lava dome volcano in the world, is joined by all three other types of volcanoes in this park: shield, cinder cone, and composite. Though Lassen itself last erupted in 1915, most of the rest of the park is continuously active. Numerous hydrothermal features, including fumaroles, boiling pools, and bubbling mud pots, are heated by molten rock from beneath the peak.
Mammoth Cave Template:Double dagger	File:Mammoth Cave National Park 007.jpg	Kentucky Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	551,590	With more than Template:Convert of passageways explored, Mammoth Cave is the world's longest known cave system. Subterranean wildlife includes eight bat species, Kentucky cave shrimp, Northern cavefish, and cave salamanders. Above ground, the park provides recreation on the Green River, 70 miles of hiking trails, and plenty of sinkholes and springs. (WHS) (BR)
Mesa Verde *	File:Mesa Verde National Park Cliff Palace Right Part 2006 09 12.jpg	Colorado Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	556,203	This area constitutes over 4,000 archaeological sites of the Ancestral Puebloan people, who lived here and elsewhere in the Four Corners region for at least 700 years. Cliff dwellings built in the 12th and 13th centuries include Cliff Palace, which has 150 rooms and 23 kivas, and the Balcony House, with its many passages and tunnels. (WHS)
Mount Rainier	File:Mount Rainier from west.jpg	Washington Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,501,621	Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the most prominent peak in the Cascades and is covered by 26 named glaciers including Carbon Glacier and Emmons Glacier, the largest in the contiguous United States. The mountain is popular for climbing, and more than half of the park is covered by subalpine and alpine forests and meadows seasonally in bloom with wildflowers. Paradise on the south slope is the snowiest place on Earth where snowfall is measured regularly. The Longmire visitor center is the start of the Wonderland Trail, which encircles the mountain.
North Cascades	File:Cascade pass.jpg	Washington Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	38,208	This complex includes two geographically distinct units of the national park, as well as Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. The highly glaciated mountains are spectacular examples of Cascade geology. Popular hiking and climbing areas include Cascade Pass, Mount Shuksan, Mount Triumph, and Eldorado Peak.
Olympic Template:Double dagger	File:Acer macrophyllum in Hoh Rain Forest.jpg	Washington Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	3,245,806	Situated on the Olympic Peninsula, this park includes a wide range of ecosystems from Pacific shoreline to temperate rainforests to the alpine slopes of the Olympic Mountains, the tallest of which is Mount Olympus. The Hoh Rainforest and Quinault Rainforest are the wettest area in the contiguous United States, with the Hoh receiving an average of almost Template:Convert of rain every year. (WHS) (BR)
Petrified Forest	File:PAINTED DESERT BADLANDS.jpg	Arizona Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	643,588	This portion of the Chinle Formation has a large concentration of 225-million-year-old petrified wood. The surrounding Painted Desert features eroded cliffs of red-hued volcanic rock called bentonite. Dinosaur fossils and over 350 Native American sites are also protected in this park.
Pinnacles	File:Pinnacles National Park.jpg	California Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	177,224	Named for the eroded leftovers of a portion of an extinct volcano, the park's massive black and gold monoliths of andesite and rhyolite are a popular destination for rock climbers. Hikers have access to trails crossing the Coast Range wilderness. The park is home to the endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and one of the few locations in the world where these extremely rare birds can be seen in the wild. Pinnacles also supports a dense population of prairie falcons, and more than 13 species of bat which populate its talus caves.
Redwood *	File:Redwood National Park, fog in the forest.jpg	California Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	504,722	This park and the co-managed state parks protect almost half of all remaining coastal redwoods, the tallest trees on earth. There are three large river systems in this very seismically active area, and Template:Convert of protected coastline reveal tide pools and seastacks. The prairie, estuary, coast, river, and forest ecosystems contain a wide variety of animal and plant species. (WHS)
Rocky Mountain Template:Dagger	File:Bierstadt Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, USA.jpg	Colorado Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	4,670,053	Bisected north to south by the Continental Divide, this portion of the Rockies has ecosystems varying from over 150 riparian lakes to montane and subalpine forests to treeless alpine tundra. Wildlife including mule deer, bighorn sheep, black bears, and cougars inhabit its igneous mountains and glacial valleys. Longs Peak, a classic Colorado fourteener, and the scenic Bear Lake are popular destinations, as well as the historic Trail Ridge Road, which reaches an elevation of more than Template:Convert. (BR)
Saguaro	File:Saguaronationalparl17102008.jpg	Arizona Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,020,226	Split into the separate Rincon Mountain and Tucson Mountain districts, this park is evidence that the dry Sonoran Desert is still home to a great variety of life spanning six biotic communities. Beyond the namesake giant saguaro cacti, there are barrel cacti, chollas, and prickly pears, as well as lesser long-nosed bats, spotted owls, and javelinas.
Sequoia Template:Dagger	File:Giant Forest.jpg	California Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,246,053	This park protects the Giant Forest, which boasts some of the world's largest trees, the General Sherman being the largest measured tree in the park. Other features include over 240 caves, a long segment of the Sierra Nevada including the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, and Moro Rock, a large granite dome. (BR)
Shenandoah	File:Early Fall at Dark Hollow Falls (22028259442).jpg	Virginia Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	1,425,507	Shenandoah's Blue Ridge Mountains are covered by hardwood forests that teem with a wide variety of wildlife. The Skyline Drive and Appalachian Trail run the entire length of this narrow park, along with more than Template:Convert of hiking trails passing scenic overlooks and cataracts of the Shenandoah River.
Theodore Roosevelt	File:Theodore Roosevelt National Park.jpg	North Dakota Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	691,658	This region that enticed and influenced President Theodore Roosevelt consists of a park of three units in the northern badlands. Besides Roosevelt's historic cabin, there are numerous scenic drives and backcountry hiking opportunities. Wildlife includes American bison, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and wild horses.
Virgin Islands	File:St John Trunk Bay 1.jpg	U.S. Virgin Islands Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	133,398	This island park on Saint John preserves Taíno archaeological sites and the ruins of sugar plantations from Columbus's time, as well as all the natural environs. Surrounding the pristine beaches are mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs.
Voyageurs	File:Voyageurs National Park.jpg	Minnesota Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	232,974	This park protecting four lakes near the Canada–US border is a site for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. The park also preserves a history populated by Ojibwe Native Americans, French fur traders called voyageurs, and gold miners. Formed by glaciers, the region features tall bluffs, rock gardens, islands, bays, and several historic buildings.
White Sands	File:White Sands New Mexico USA.jpg	New Mexico Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	608,785	Located in the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin, White Sands consists of the southern part of a Template:Convert field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals—the world's largest gypsum dunefield. The park is completely within the White Sands Missile Range and is subject to closure when tests are conducted.
Wind Cave	File:Wind Cave lower.jpg	South Dakota Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	615,350	Wind Cave is distinctive for its calcite fin formations called boxwork, a unique formation rarely found elsewhere, and needle-like growths called frostwork. The cave is one of the longest and most complex caves in the world. Above ground is a mixed-grass prairie with animals such as bison, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs, and ponderosa pine forests that are home to cougars and elk. The cave is culturally significant to the Lakota people as the site "from which Wakan Tanka, the Great Mystery, sent the buffalo out into their hunting grounds."
Wrangell–St. Elias *	File:MountJarvis.jpg	Alaska Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	74,518	An over Template:Convert plot of mountainous country—the largest national park in the system—protects the convergence of the Alaska, Chugach, and Wrangell-Saint Elias Ranges, which include many of the continent's tallest mountains and volcanoes, including the 18,008-foot Mount Saint Elias. More than a quarter of the park is covered with glaciers, including the tidewater Hubbard Glacier, piedmont Malaspina Glacier, and valley Nabesna Glacier. (WHS)
Yellowstone Template:Double dagger	File:Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin from above.jpg	Wyoming, Montana, Idaho Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	4,020,288	Situated on the Yellowstone Caldera, the park has an expansive network of geothermal areas including boiling mud pots, vividly colored hot springs such as Grand Prismatic Spring, and regularly erupting geysers, the best-known being Old Faithful. The yellow-hued Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River contains several high waterfalls, and four mountain ranges traverse the park. More than 60 mammal species including timber wolves, grizzly bears, black bears, lynxes, bison, and elk, make this park one of the best wildlife viewing spots in the country. (WHS) (BR)
Yosemite *	File:YosemitePark2 amk.jpg	California Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	4,422,861	Yosemite features sheer granite cliffs, exceptionally tall waterfalls, and old-growth forests at a unique intersection of geology and hydrology. Half Dome and El Capitan rise from the park's centerpiece, the glacier-carved Yosemite Valley, and from its vertical walls drop Yosemite Falls, one of North America's tallest waterfalls at Template:Convert high. Three giant sequoia groves, along with a pristine wilderness in the heart of the Sierra Nevada, are home to a wide variety of rare plant and animal species. (WHS)
Zion	File:Angels Landing.jpg	Utah Template:Coord	Template:Dts	Template:Convert	4,488,268	Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert, this park contains sandstone features such as mesas, rock towers, and canyons, including the Virgin River Narrows. The various sandstone formations and the forks of the Virgin River create a wilderness divided into four ecosystems: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest.

Parks by state

Exclusive parks refers to parks located entirely within one state. Shared parks refers to parks in multiple states.

State	Exclusive parks	Shared parks
California	8	1
Alaska	8	—
Utah	5	—
Colorado	4	—
Arizona	3	—
Florida	3	—
Washington	3	—
Hawaii	2	—
New Mexico	2	—
South Dakota	2	—
Texas	2	—
Montana	1	1
Nevada	1	1
Wyoming	1	1
American Samoa	1	—
Arkansas	1	—
Indiana	1	—
Kentucky	1	—
Maine	1	—
Michigan	1	—
Minnesota	1	—
Missouri	1	—
North Dakota	1	—
Ohio	1	—
Oregon	1	—
South Carolina	1	—
U.S. Virgin Islands	1	—
Virginia	1	—
Idaho	—	1
North Carolina	—	1
Tennessee	—	1

See also

• National Park Service
• History of the National Park Service
• List of areas in the United States National Park System
• List of the United States National Park System official units
• List of National Monuments of the United States
• List of U.S. National Forests
• List of World Heritage Sites in the United States

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References

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External links

• Official WEbsite of the National Park Service (NPS)
• Find a park (NPS)
• Visitor use statistics (NPS)
• The National Parks: America's Best Idea by PBS
• America's Natural Heritage - The Essential Guide to the National Parks by The Washington Post
• Interactive map at Sharemap.org (beta testing)

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