US National Parks All 63 places officially designated as U.S. national parks, led by an editorial ranking of the strongest overall park visits. Re-sort by 2025 NPS recreation visits, state, year established, or A–Z. Each park keeps its own canonical place page, researched guide, and sourced media.
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Sign in 63 shown Sort Most bucket-list worthy Most visited (2025) By state National park established A–Z
1. Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Idaho
Est. 1872 · 2.2M acres · 4.8M visitors/yr — The world's first national park, sitting atop a supervolcano, with Old Faithful, vivid hot springs, canyons and abundant bison, wolves, bears and elk.
2. Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park, California
Est. 1890 · 762K acres · 4.3M visitors/yr — Towering granite cliffs like El Capitan and Half Dome, thundering waterfalls, giant sequoias and glacier-carved valleys make this Sierra Nevada park world-renowned.
3. Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park, Montana
Est. 1910 · 1.0M acres · 3.1M visitors/yr — The 'Crown of the Continent,' with glacier-carved peaks, alpine lakes, abundant wildlife and the breathtaking Going-to-the-Sun Road across the Continental Divide.
4. Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Est. 1919 · 1.2M acres · 4.4M visitors/yr — A mile-deep, 277-mile gorge carved by the Colorado River exposing two billion years of rock—one of Earth's most awe-inspiring landscapes and a global icon.
5. Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park, Washington
Est. 1938 · 923K acres · 3.6M visitors/yr — Three distinct ecosystems in one—glaciated peaks, temperate rainforests dripping with moss, and wild Pacific coastline—make this Washington park extraordinarily diverse.
6. Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Est. 1929 · 310K acres · 3.8M visitors/yr — The jagged Teton Range rises abruptly above glassy lakes and the Snake River valley, with superb hiking, wildlife and views just south of Yellowstone.
7. Zion National Park
Zion National Park, Utah
Est. 1919 · 147K acres · 5.0M visitors/yr — Soaring red and cream sandstone cliffs, the Virgin River carving the Narrows, and thrilling routes like Angels Landing make this Utah canyon spectacular.
8. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
Est. 1916 · 345K acres · 1.9M visitors/yr — Home to active Kīlauea and massive Mauna Loa, showcasing live lava landscapes, steaming craters, lava tubes and the dramatic birth of new land.
9. Denali National Park
Denali National Park, Alaska
Est. 1917 · 4.7M acres · 543K visitors/yr — Home to Denali, North America's highest peak at 20,310 feet, amid sweeping subarctic wilderness teeming with grizzlies, wolves, caribou and moose along one road.
10. Redwood National Park
Redwood National Park, California
Est. 1968 · 139K acres · 1.2M visitors/yr — Protects the world's tallest trees, ancient coast redwoods soaring over 300 feet, alongside fern canyons, prairies, rivers and rugged Pacific coastline.
11. Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Est. 1915 · 266K acres · 4.2M visitors/yr — High-alpine grandeur with dozens of peaks over 12,000 feet, the lofty Trail Ridge Road, glacial lakes, tundra and elk roaming meadows near Estes Park.
12. Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park, Maine
Est. 1919 · 49K acres · 4.1M visitors/yr — Rugged Atlantic coastline, granite peaks and Cadillac Mountain—the first place to see U.S. sunrise—plus carriage roads, tide pools and fall foliage on Maine's Mount Desert Island.
13. Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Est. 1899 · 236K acres · 1.6M visitors/yr — An iconic 14,410-foot glaciated volcano towering over old-growth forests and wildflower meadows like Paradise, with waterfalls and panoramic alpine hiking.
14. Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park, California/Nevada
Est. 1994 · 3.4M acres · 1.3M visitors/yr — North America's hottest, driest and lowest point at Badwater Basin, with salt flats, sculpted dunes, colorful badlands and spectacular spring wildflower blooms.
15. Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Est. 1964 · 338K acres · 796K visitors/yr — A vast maze of canyons, mesas and buttes carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers into four wild districts, offering Mesa Arch, backcountry routes and solitude.
16. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina
Est. 1934 · 522K acres · 11.5M visitors/yr — America's most-visited national park, famed for misty ridgelines, extraordinary biodiversity, wildflowers, historic Appalachian cabins and synchronous fireflies across the Tennessee–North Carolina border.
17. Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Est. 1928 · 36K acres · 2.0M visitors/yr — The world's largest concentration of hoodoos—crimson, orange and white rock spires—filling natural amphitheaters along a high Utah plateau with superb stargazing.
18. Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park, Texas
Est. 1944 · 801K acres · 568K visitors/yr — Vast Chihuahuan Desert wilderness along the Rio Grande, with the Chisos Mountains, deep canyons, dark night skies and exceptional bird and wildlife diversity.
19. Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
Est. 1980 · 670K acres · 425K visitors/yr — The vast Harding Icefield spills nearly 40 tidewater and valley glaciers into fjords rich with whales, sea otters, puffins and dramatic coastal scenery.
20. Arches National Park
Arches National Park, Utah
Est. 1971 · 77K acres · 1.5M visitors/yr — Over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including iconic Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch, set amid red-rock fins, balanced rocks and dramatic desert vistas near Moab.
21. Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park, California
Est. 1890 · 404K acres · 1.4M visitors/yr — Home to the General Sherman, Earth's largest tree by volume, plus giant sequoia groves, deep canyons and Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48.
22. Katmai National Park
Katmai National Park, Alaska
Est. 1980 · 3.7M acres · 34K visitors/yr — World-renowned for brown bears feasting on salmon at Brooks Falls, plus the volcanic Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes from the 1912 Novarupta eruption.
23. Haleakalā National Park
Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii
Est. 1961 · 33K acres · 854K visitors/yr — Maui's dormant volcano, with a vast otherworldly summit crater famed for sunrises, plus the lush Kīpahulu coast, waterfalls and rare silverswords and nēnē geese.
24. Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park, Florida
Est. 1934 · 1.5M acres · 778K visitors/yr — The largest tropical wilderness in the U.S., a vast 'river of grass' wetland sheltering alligators, crocodiles, manatees, wading birds and the endangered Florida panther.
25. Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Est. 1902 · 183K acres · 632K visitors/yr — The deepest lake in the U.S., filling a collapsed volcano's caldera with intensely blue water, ringed by cliffs, Wizard Island and a scenic Rim Drive.
26. Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Est. 1971 · 242K acres · 1.4M visitors/yr — Centered on the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile warp of colorful cliffs, domes and slot canyons, plus historic Fruita orchards and ancient petroglyphs.
27. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park
Wrangell–St. Elias National Park, Alaska
Est. 1980 · 8.3M acres · 109K visitors/yr — The largest U.S. national park, a colossal wilderness of towering volcanoes, massive glaciers and the highest peaks, plus the historic Kennecott copper mine.
28. Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Est. 1980 · 3.2M acres · 740K visitors/yr — Tidewater glaciers calving into icy fjords, snowcapped peaks and rich marine life—humpback whales, sea otters and seals—reached mostly by cruise ship and boat.
29. Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
Est. 1930 · 47K acres · 411K visitors/yr — More than 119 limestone caves, including the immense Big Room chamber, ornate formations and a summer bat flight of hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats.
30. Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Est. 1994 · 795K acres · 2.9M visitors/yr — Where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet, dotted with twisted Joshua trees, surreal boulder piles for climbing, and exceptionally clear desert night skies.
31. Great Sand Dunes National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Est. 2004 · 107K acres · 432K visitors/yr — North America's tallest sand dunes tower 750 feet against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with seasonal Medano Creek for sandboarding and splashing.
32. Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park, California
Est. 1980 · 250K acres · 227K visitors/yr — Five rugged, undeveloped islands off California—the 'Galapagos of North America'—home to endemic species, sea caves, kelp forests and abundant seals and seabirds.
33. Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
Est. 1992 · 65K acres · 89K visitors/yr — A remote cluster of coral islands 70 miles west of Key West, anchored by massive Fort Jefferson, with pristine reefs, snorkeling and seabird nesting.
34. Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands National Park, U.S. Virgin Islands
Est. 1956 · 15K acres · 471K visitors/yr — Covers most of St. John with white-sand beaches, vibrant coral reefs, tropical forests, hiking trails and Danish colonial plantation ruins in the Caribbean.
35. Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Est. 1940 · 462K acres · 780K visitors/yr — One of North America's deepest canyons, giant sequoia groves including the General Grant Tree, and rugged High Sierra wilderness of granite peaks and rivers.
36. North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park, Washington
Est. 1968 · 505K acres · 47K visitors/yr — The 'American Alps,' a wild realm of more than 300 glaciers, jagged peaks, turquoise lakes and deep forests offering rugged backcountry solitude.
37. White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Est. 2019 · 146K acres · 660K visitors/yr — The world's largest gypsum dunefield, an undulating sea of brilliant white sand ideal for hiking, sledding and otherworldly sunsets in New Mexico.
38. Mesa Verde National Park
Cortez
Est. 1906 · 52K acres · 463K visitors/yr — Preserves spectacular ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, including Cliff Palace, offering an unmatched window into a sophisticated culture that thrived here 700 years ago.
39. Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Est. 1978 · 243K acres · 1.1M visitors/yr — Striking eroded buttes, layered spires and fossil beds rise above mixed-grass prairie roamed by bison, bighorn sheep and prairie dogs in South Dakota.
40. Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Est. 1935 · 200K acres · 1.7M visitors/yr — Crowned by the 105-mile Skyline Drive along the Blue Ridge, with cascading waterfalls, Appalachian Trail miles, fall foliage and sweeping valley overlooks.
41. Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Est. 1986 · 77K acres · 161K visitors/yr — Ancient bristlecone pines, the limestone Lehman Caves, 13,000-foot Wheeler Peak and some of the darkest night skies in the country in remote eastern Nevada.
42. Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
Est. 1978 · 70K acres · 730K visitors/yr — Colorful North Dakota badlands where the conservation-minded president ranched, now roamed by bison, wild horses and prairie dogs along scenic loop drives.
43. Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Est. 1916 · 107K acres · 505K visitors/yr — All four volcano types occur here, with steaming fumaroles, boiling mud pots, Bumpass Hell's hydrothermal basins and Lassen Peak's relatively recent eruptions.
44. National Park of American Samoa
American Samoa National Park, American Samoa
Est. 1988 · 8K acres · 43K visitors/yr — The only U.S. park south of the equator, spanning tropical rainforest, coral reefs and Samoan villages across three remote Pacific islands rich in fruit bats and culture.
45. Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
Est. 1940 · 572K acres · 29K visitors/yr — A remote, roadless wilderness island in Lake Superior, famed for its moose and wolves, backcountry hiking, paddling and shipwreck diving.
46. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
Est. 1999 · 31K acres · 250K visitors/yr — A staggeringly deep, narrow gorge of dark Precambrian gneiss and schist, carved by the Gunnison River, with sheer 2,000-foot walls and dramatic overlooks.
47. Gates of the Arctic National Park
Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska
Est. 1980 · 7.5M acres · 15K visitors/yr — The northernmost and least-visited national park, a roadless Arctic wilderness of jagged Brooks Range peaks, wild rivers and caribou migrations above the Arctic Circle.
48. Lake Clark National Park
Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
Est. 1980 · 2.6M acres · 20K visitors/yr — A roadless Alaskan wilderness blending active volcanoes, glaciated peaks, turquoise lakes, salmon-rich rivers and prime coastal brown-bear viewing, reachable only by plane or boat.
49. Saguaro National Park
Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Est. 1994 · 93K acres · 848K visitors/yr — Protects dense forests of the iconic giant saguaro cactus, symbol of the American Southwest, across two desert districts flanking Tucson, Arizona.
50. Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
Est. 1941 · 72K acres · 661K visitors/yr — The longest known cave system on Earth, with over 400 mapped miles of passages, vast chambers and unusual formations beneath Kentucky's forested hills.
51. Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
Est. 1972 · 86K acres · 206K visitors/yr — Texas's highest peak, Guadalupe Peak, crowns a fossilized Permian reef, with rugged canyons, McKittrick Canyon's fall colors and stark Chihuahuan Desert wilderness.
52. New River Gorge National Park
New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia
Est. 2020 · 7K acres · 2.0M visitors/yr — A rugged Appalachian river gorge with world-class whitewater rafting, sandstone cliffs for climbing and the soaring New River Gorge Bridge.
53. Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Est. 1962 · 221K acres · 316K visitors/yr — Vast deposits of colorful petrified wood from a 225-million-year-old forest, set amid the banded badlands of the Painted Desert and ancient petroglyphs.
54. Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
Est. 1975 · 218K acres · 206K visitors/yr — A water-based park of interconnected lakes and forested islands along the Canadian border, best explored by boat, with northern lights and abundant wildlife.
55. Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park, Florida
Est. 1980 · 173K acres · 487K visitors/yr — Ninety-five percent underwater, protecting turquoise Biscayne Bay, living coral reefs, mangrove shorelines, shipwrecks and the northern Florida Keys—a paradise for snorkeling and boating.
56. Kobuk Valley National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska
Est. 1980 · 1.8M acres · 8K visitors/yr — A trail-less Arctic wilderness above the Arctic Circle, famed for the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and the vast caribou migration crossing the Kobuk River.
57. Congaree National Park
Congaree National Park, South Carolina
Est. 2003 · 27K acres · 288K visitors/yr — The largest intact old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the U.S., with towering champion trees, boardwalk trails, blackwater paddling and synchronous fireflies.
58. Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles National Park, California
Est. 2013 · 27K acres · 343K visitors/yr — Towering rock spires from an ancient volcano, talus caves and prime habitat for the endangered California condor make this newest mainland park a hiker's gem.
59. Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
Est. 1903 · 34K acres · 606K visitors/yr — One of the world's longest and most complex caves, famed for rare boxwork formations, beneath mixed-grass prairie roamed by bison and elk in the Black Hills.
60. Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Est. 2000 · 33K acres · 3.0M visitors/yr — A green refuge between Cleveland and Akron, featuring Brandywine Falls, the winding Cuyahoga River, towpath trails and a heritage scenic railroad.
61. Indiana Dunes National Park
Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana
Est. 2019 · 15K acres · 2.6M visitors/yr — Towering sand dunes, beaches and remarkably diverse habitats along 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, with wetlands, prairies and woodlands near Chicago.
62. Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
Est. 1921 · 6K acres · 2.5M visitors/yr — The oldest federally protected area, where thermal springs feed historic Bathhouse Row in an Arkansas town, blending wellness heritage with forested mountain trails.
63. Gateway Arch National Park
Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri
Est. 2018 · 193 acres · 2.2M visitors/yr — The nation's smallest national park, centered on the 630-foot stainless-steel Gateway Arch commemorating westward expansion, with a tram ride and riverfront museum in St. Louis.
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