Use This Complete List of All the U.S. National Parks to Plan Your Next Trip

From Acadia to Yellowstone, here's the official list of all the national parks in the United States.

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Updated on March 30, 2024

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Grand Teton Mountains at dusk — Photo:
Irjaliina Paavonpera / Travel + Leisure

In 2020, the United States added a new national park to its roster of incredible public lands: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. This stunning West Virginia park runs alongside 53 miles of the New River, encompassing more than 70,000 acres of the beautiful wooded gorge and offering plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, climbing, and white water rafting.

That addition got us thinking, just how many national parks are there in the U.S. anyway?

While the National Park Service was founded in 1916, the creation of the country's first official national park predates it — Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 via a law signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. Since then, the U.S. has amassed 63 national parks, from Alaska to the Florida Keys. To see them all, you’ll need to visit 31 states and two U.S. territories: American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Altogether, there are 429 national park sites in the U.S., though just 63 have the "National Park" designation in their names. The others fall into several categories including National Battlefields, National Historic Sites, National Monuments, National Seashores, and National Recreation Areas. Some of the most popular national parks in the country, such as Great Smoky Mountains and Yellowstone, bring in millions of visitors each year, while a few underrated ones, like Capitol Reef and Great Basin, remain not-so-hidden gems.

Visiting in the summer may mean encountering more crowds than a spring or fall trip. And while winter visits often translate to fewer travelers, some amenities or roads may be closed seasonally, so check the park's website before you head out. Also note that a few national parks, such as Arches and Glacier, require timed entry passes during the busy summer season to help curb crowds. Others, like Zion and Bryce Canyon, provide complimentary shuttle service to help reduce traffic jams along popular routes and near scenic lookout points.

Here's the full list of all 63, categorized by region, to help you plan your next national park adventure.