National Parks

Caribou in Denali National Park - Autumn - Ani...

Caribou in Denali National Park - Autumn - Animal - Wildlife - Alaska

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”.

People enjoy the National Park system. Here are the ten most visited parks.

2011 Top 10 Most Visited National Parks


National Park
Recreational
Park Visits
1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN, NC) 9,008,830
2. Grand Canyon National Park (AZ) 4,298,178
3. Yosemite National Park (CA) 3,951,393
4. Yellowstone National Park (WY, MT, ID) 3,394,326
5. Rocky Mountain National Park (CO) 3,176,941
6. Olympic National Park (WA) 2,966,502
7. Zion National Park (UT) 2,825,505
8. Grand Teton National Park (WY) 2,587,437
9. Acadia National Park (ME) 2,374,645
10. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (OH) 2,161,185

Source: National Park Service

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

Arches National Park

Badlands National Park

Big Bend National Park

Biscayne National Park

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Canyonlands National Park

Capitol Reef National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Channel Islands National Park

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

Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve

Glacier National Park

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Teton National Park

Great Basin National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Haleakala National Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hot Springs National Park

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

Mammoth Cave National Park

Mesa Verde National Park

Mount Rainier National Park

National Park of American Samoa

North Cascades National Park

Olympic National Park

Petrified Forest National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

Saguaro National Park

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Shenandoah National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Virgin Islands National Park

Voyageurs National Park

Wind Cave National Park

Wrangell – St  Elias National Park & Preserve

Yellowstone National Park

Yosemite National Park

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!

iNationalParks.com is an informational web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service.

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