National Parks

The United States is a BIG place, and if you’re looking for a BIG adventure then you’re in the right place. In the United States there are no less than 58 areas which are protected and known as the national parks, and are all operated by the National Park Service. You’ve probably heard of a few of them at least. The first area to become a national park was Yellowstone in 1872, closely followed by Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890.  The National Park Service has the job “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”.

National Parks in America cover a total area of 210,000 km2, and are spread across 27 different states. The largest is Wrangell – St Elias which covers an area of 32,000 km2, and the smallest is Hot Springs which is less than 24 km2.

Here’s a list of the National Parks of America:

Acadia National Park

American Memorial Park

Anacostia Park

Arches National Park

Badlands National Park

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

Big Bend National Park

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Thicket National Preserve

Biscayne National Park

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Canyonlands National Park

Capitol Hill Parks

Capitol Reef National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Catoctin Mountain Park

Channel Islands National Park

City of Rocks National Reserve

Congaree National Park

Crater Lake National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Denali National Park & Preserve

Dry Tortugas National Park

Everglades National Park

Fort Dupont Park

Fort Foote Park

Fort Washington Park

Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve

Glacier National Park

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

Glen Echo Park

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Teton National Park

Great Basin National Park

Great Falls Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Greenbelt Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Haleakala National Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hot Springs National Park

Inupiat Heritage Center

Isle Royale National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

Katmai National Park & Preserve

Kenai Fjords National Park

Kobuk Valley National Park

Lake Clark National Park & Preserve

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Little River Canyon National Preserve

Maine Acadian Culture

Mammoth Cave National Park

Mesa Verde National Park

Mojave National Preserve

Mount Rainier National Park

National Mall

National Park of American Samoa

New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve

Noatak National Preserve

North Cascades National Park

Olympic National Park

Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm

Petrified Forest National Park

Piscataway Park

Presidio of San Francisco

Prince William Forest Park

Redwood National State and Parks

Rock Creek Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

Roosevelt Campobello International Park

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Shenandoah National Park

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt Island Park

Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve

Virgin Islands National Park

Voyageurs National Park

Western Arctic National Parklands

Wind Cave National Park

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Wrangell – St  Elias National Park & Preserve

Yellowstone National Park

Yosemite National Park

Yukon – Charley Rivers National Preserve

Zion National Park

There are over 51,900,000 acres of national park to enjoy in the United States. What are you waiting for – go and enjoy them!