In 2020, the United States added a new national park to its impressive roster of public lands: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. This beautiful West Virginia park is located along 83 miles of the New River and encompasses more than 70,000 acres of beautiful wooded valleys, offering plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, climbing, rafting, and more.
This addition got us thinking about how many national parks there are in the United States in the first place.
Although the National Park Service was established in 1916, the creation of the nation’s first official national park occurred earlier, with Yellowstone National Park established in 1872 by legislation signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. it was done. Since then, the United States has established 63 national parks from Alaska to the Florida Keys. To see them all, you’ll need to visit 31 states and her two U.S. territories: American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
There are a total of 429 national parks in the United States, but only 63 have the “national park” designation in their names. Others fall into several categories, including National Battlefields, National Historic Sites, National Monuments, National Seashores, and National Recreation Areas. The nation’s most popular national parks, such as the Great Smoky Mountains and Yellowstone, draw millions of visitors each year, but some underrated national parks, such as Capitol Reef and Great Basin, remain Known as a hidden gem.
If you visit in the summer, it may be more crowded than a trip in the spring or fall. There are often fewer visitors in the winter, but some facilities and roads may be closed depending on the season, so check the park website before heading out. Also note that some national parks, such as Arches and Glacier, require timed entry passes during the busy summer season to reduce crowds. Zion and Bryce Canyon, among others, offer free shuttle service to ease traffic congestion along popular routes and near scenic overlooks.
Here’s a complete list of all 63 locations categorized by region to help you plan your next national park adventure.
northeast
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southeast
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southwest
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Big Bend National Park: Texas Carlsbad Caverns National Park: New Mexico Grand Canyon National Park: Arizona Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Texas Petrified Forest National Park: Arizona Saguaro National Park: Arizona White Sands National Park: New mexico state
Midwest
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West
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Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa
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Denali National Park: Alaska Arctic Gates National Park: Alaska Glacier Bay National Park: Alaska Haleakala National Park: Hawaii Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Hawaii Katmai National Park: Alaska Kenai Fjords National Park: Alaska Kobuk Valley National Park: Alaska Lake Clark National Park Park Park: American Samoa Alaska National Park: American Samoa Wrangell St. Elias National Park: Alaska
