U.S. National Parks

A Portrait of a Male Bison in Yellowstone National Park

America’s 63 national parks protect some of the country’s most remarkable landscapes, from the granite cliffs of Yosemite and the geothermal basins of Yellowstone to Florida’s wetlands, Alaska’s immense wilderness, the deserts of the Southwest, and tropical ecosystems in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa.

This U.S. National Parks guide is your starting point for exploring them all. Use the links below to find our guides to individual parks, hiking trails, scenic drives, wildlife, geological features, historic places, viewpoints, and other destinations within each park.

This page focuses specifically on the 63 U.S. national parks. National monuments, national historic sites, national preserves, national seashores, and other protected areas may appear elsewhere on National Park Field Guide, but they are not included in the official 63-park list. National forests are also separate from the National Park System and are not included here.

🧭 Explore America’s 63 National Parks

There is no single type of American national park. Some preserve enormous wilderness landscapes, while others center on caves, islands, deserts, archaeological sites, mountains, coastlines, or waterways. Organizing the parks by region makes it easier to find destinations that fit a particular trip while also showing just how varied the National Park System can be.

🌲 Northeast & Appalachian National Parks

The parks of the Northeast and Appalachian region combine rugged Atlantic coastline, forested mountains, waterfalls, scenic drives, and some of the richest biological diversity in the eastern United States.

Acadia National Park — Maine. Granite mountains meet the Atlantic Ocean in a landscape of rocky shores, forests, lakes, carriage roads, and famous destinations such as Cadillac Mountain and Jordan Pond.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park — Ohio. Forest trails, waterfalls, historic canal features, and the winding Cuyahoga River create an unexpectedly wild landscape between Cleveland and Akron.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park — North Carolina and Tennessee. Misty ridges, old-growth forests, waterfalls, historic structures, wildflowers, and extraordinary biodiversity make the Smokies one of America’s best-known mountain parks.
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve — West Virginia. The New River cuts through a dramatic Appalachian gorge known for hiking, climbing, whitewater, forest scenery, and the towering New River Gorge Bridge.
Shenandoah National Park — Virginia. Skyline Drive follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains through a park filled with overlooks, waterfalls, forest trails, wildlife, and sections of the Appalachian Trail.

🌴 Southeast, Florida & Caribbean National Parks

The southeastern parks range from ancient forests and subtropical wetlands to coral reefs, remote islands, beaches, and historic coastal landscapes. Several are best explored from the water rather than entirely on foot.

Biscayne National Park — Florida. Most of this park is water, protecting islands, mangrove shorelines, Biscayne Bay, coral reefs, shipwrecks, and abundant marine life.
Congaree National Park — South Carolina. Towering bottomland hardwood forests surround rivers, sloughs, boardwalks, paddling routes, and trails through one of the Southeast’s distinctive floodplain ecosystems.
Dry Tortugas National Park — Florida. Reached primarily by boat or seaplane, this remote Gulf of Mexico park combines coral reefs, clear water, seabirds, tiny islands, and the massive 19th-century Fort Jefferson.
Everglades National Park — Florida. Sawgrass marshes, mangroves, coastal waters, hardwood hammocks, alligators, crocodiles, manatees, wading birds, and countless other species make the Everglades unlike any other U.S. national park.
Virgin Islands National Park — U.S. Virgin Islands. Much of St. John is protected within this tropical park of beaches, reefs, forested hills, historic ruins, and Caribbean waters.

🌾 Midwest & Central U.S. National Parks

The middle of the country offers a remarkably varied collection of parks, including Great Lakes wilderness, vast cave passages, thermal springs, freshwater islands, historic landscapes, and interconnected lake systems.

Gateway Arch National Park — Missouri and Illinois. Centered on the Gateway Arch and the history of American westward expansion, this is one of the smallest and most urban national parks.
Hot Springs National Park — Arkansas. Naturally heated spring water, forested hills, historic Bathhouse Row, and more than a century of protected public use define this unusual national park.
Indiana Dunes National Park — Indiana. Dunes, beaches, wetlands, prairies, woodlands, and Lake Michigan shoreline create a surprisingly diverse park close to the Chicago metropolitan area.
Isle Royale National Park — Michigan. This remote Lake Superior archipelago is a destination for backpacking, paddling, boating, wildlife watching, and travelers seeking solitude.
Mammoth Cave National Park — Kentucky. Beneath the wooded hills of central Kentucky lies the world’s longest known cave system, with an immense network of passages formed over millions of years.
Voyageurs National Park — Minnesota. Lakes, islands, boreal forest, rocky shorelines, boating routes, and winter recreation define this water-centered park near the Canadian border.

🦬 Great Plains & Rocky Mountain National Parks

Here, grasslands and badlands rise toward some of North America’s most dramatic mountain scenery. These parks are particularly well known for wildlife, large wilderness areas, alpine environments, and spectacular scenic drives.

Badlands National Park — South Dakota. Sharply eroded formations, colorful rock layers, mixed-grass prairie, fossils, bison, and bighorn sheep create one of the Great Plains’ most distinctive landscapes.
Glacier National Park — Montana. Jagged mountains, glacial lakes, alpine meadows, wildlife, and the spectacular Going-to-the-Sun Road make Glacier a centerpiece of the northern Rockies.
Grand Teton National Park — Wyoming. The Teton Range rises abruptly above Jackson Hole, surrounding alpine lakes, rivers, forests, hiking trails, and important wildlife habitat.
Rocky Mountain National Park — Colorado. Alpine tundra, high mountain passes, lakes, forests, wildlife, and hundreds of miles of trails showcase the heart of the Colorado Rockies.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park — North Dakota. Badlands, prairie, bison, wild horses, prairie dogs, and the Little Missouri River preserve the landscape that deeply influenced Theodore Roosevelt.
Wind Cave National Park — South Dakota. An extensive cave system lies beneath a rolling prairie where bison, elk, prairie dogs, and other Great Plains wildlife can be seen above ground.
Yellowstone National Park — Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, lakes, canyons, bison, wolves, grizzly bears, and vast wild landscapes make Yellowstone one of the most recognizable parks in the world.

🏜️ Southwest & Four Corners National Parks

The American Southwest contains one of the country’s greatest concentrations of national parks. Red-rock arches, deep canyons, desert mountains, caves, dunes, archaeological sites, cactus forests, and remarkable geological formations dominate the region.

Arches National Park — Utah. Thousands of natural stone arches and formations such as Delicate Arch, Double Arch, Balanced Rock, and Devils Garden fill this red-rock landscape.
Big Bend National Park — Texas. The Rio Grande, Chihuahuan Desert, deep canyons, and Chisos Mountains come together in one of the country’s largest and most remote desert parks.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park — Colorado. The Gunnison River has carved an extraordinarily deep, narrow canyon through dark Precambrian rock, producing sheer cliffs and dramatic overlooks.
Bryce Canyon National Park — Utah. Vast amphitheaters filled with colorful hoodoos make Bryce Canyon one of the Southwest’s most recognizable landscapes.
Canyonlands National Park — Utah. The Colorado and Green rivers divide this enormous landscape of canyons, mesas, arches, cliffs, and remote desert wilderness into several distinct districts.
Capitol Reef National Park — Utah. Cliffs, domes, canyons, historic orchards, and the immense Waterpocket Fold showcase hundreds of millions of years of geological history.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park — New Mexico. Enormous underground chambers and intricate cave formations lie beneath the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico.
Grand Canyon National Park — Arizona. The Colorado River and millions of years of erosion have exposed an immense sequence of rock layers within one of Earth’s best-known canyon landscapes.
Great Basin National Park — Nevada. Ancient bristlecone pines, Wheeler Peak, alpine terrain, exceptionally dark skies, and Lehman Caves make this remote park far more varied than its desert setting suggests.
Great Sand Dunes National Park — Colorado. Towering dunes rise beneath the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, surrounded by grasslands, wetlands, forests, and alpine environments.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park — Texas. Rugged desert mountains, fossil reefs, canyons, and Guadalupe Peak—the highest point in Texas—define this Chihuahuan Desert park.
Mesa Verde National Park — Colorado. Mesa Verde protects an extraordinary concentration of Ancestral Pueblo archaeological sites, including famous cliff dwellings such as Cliff Palace and Balcony House.
Petrified Forest National Park — Arizona. Colorful badlands, fossilized trees, archaeological resources, and the Painted Desert reveal both ancient ecosystems and a long human history.
Saguaro National Park — Arizona. Giant saguaro cacti dominate two desert districts on opposite sides of Tucson, surrounded by remarkably diverse Sonoran Desert plant and animal life.
White Sands National Park — New Mexico. Brilliant white gypsum dunes form an otherworldly landscape in the Tularosa Basin of southern New Mexico.
Zion National Park — Utah. Towering sandstone cliffs, narrow canyons, hanging gardens, desert plateaus, and famous hikes such as Angels Landing and The Narrows define this southwestern landmark.

🌊 California National Parks

California has more national parks than any other state, with landscapes stretching from below-sea-level desert basins to giant sequoia forests, Pacific islands, volcanic terrain, coastal redwoods, and the granite heart of the Sierra Nevada.

Channel Islands National Park — California. Five protected islands off the Southern California coast preserve sea caves, kelp forests, marine mammals, seabird colonies, rare plants, and important archaeological resources.
Death Valley National Park — California and Nevada. Salt flats, colorful badlands, sand dunes, mountain ranges, canyons, and extreme elevations create a landscape of remarkable contrasts.
Joshua Tree National Park — California. The Mojave and Colorado deserts meet amid Joshua trees, enormous granite boulders, cactus gardens, desert mountains, and dark night skies.
Kings Canyon National Park — California. Deep glacial canyons, high Sierra wilderness, roaring rivers, alpine peaks, and giant sequoias make Kings Canyon one of California’s great mountain parks.
Lassen Volcanic National Park — California. Volcanic peaks, steaming fumaroles, boiling mud pots, clear lakes, forests, and wildflower meadows reveal an actively changing volcanic landscape.
Pinnacles National Park — California. Volcanic rock formations, talus caves, chaparral-covered hills, climbing routes, and opportunities to see California condors distinguish this compact park.
Redwood National Park — California. Some of the world’s tallest trees rise above fern-filled forests near a rugged Pacific coastline of beaches, rivers, prairies, and wildlife habitat.
Sequoia National Park — California. Giant sequoia groves, deep canyons, caves, Sierra Nevada peaks, and the enormous General Sherman Tree make this a landscape of extraordinary scale.
Yosemite National Park — California. Granite landmarks such as El Capitan and Half Dome rise above Yosemite Valley amid waterfalls, giant sequoias, alpine terrain, meadows, rivers, and extensive wilderness.

🌧️ Pacific Northwest National Parks

The Pacific Northwest parks are shaped by volcanoes, glaciers, temperate rainforest, rugged Pacific coastline, deep lakes, and the high mountains of the Cascade Range.

Crater Lake National Park — Oregon. Deep blue Crater Lake fills the caldera left by the collapse of ancient Mount Mazama, creating one of America’s most striking volcanic landscapes.
Mount Rainier National Park — Washington. The glacier-covered volcano of Mount Rainier towers above forests, rivers, waterfalls, wildflower meadows, and extensive alpine terrain.
North Cascades National Park — Washington. Jagged peaks, glaciers, turquoise lakes, deep valleys, and large wilderness areas give the North Cascades some of the wildest mountain scenery in the contiguous United States.
Olympic National Park — Washington. One park encompasses glacier-covered mountains, temperate rainforest, old-growth forest, lakes, rivers, and miles of rugged Pacific coastline.

🐻 Alaska National Parks

Alaska contains eight national parks and some of the largest protected wilderness landscapes in the United States. Many lack conventional road access, making bush planes, boats, long-distance backpacking, and true backcountry travel an important part of exploring them.

Denali National Park — Alaska. North America’s highest mountain rises above tundra, braided rivers, glaciers, and habitat for grizzly bears, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, and moose.
Gates of the Arctic National Park — Alaska. With no roads or established trails running through the park, Gates of the Arctic protects an immense Arctic wilderness of mountains, rivers, tundra, and remote valleys.
Glacier Bay National Park — Alaska. Tidewater glaciers, fjords, coastal mountains, marine mammals, seabirds, and rapidly changing glacial landscapes dominate this southeastern Alaska park.
Katmai National Park — Alaska. Famous for brown bears fishing for salmon at Brooks Falls, Katmai also protects volcanic landscapes, lakes, rivers, coastline, and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
Kenai Fjords National Park — Alaska. The Harding Icefield feeds glaciers that descend through mountains toward deep coastal fjords filled with seals, sea otters, whales, and seabirds.
Kobuk Valley National Park — Alaska. Arctic sand dunes, the Kobuk River, tundra, boreal forest, and major caribou migration routes make this one of the country’s most unusual wilderness parks.
Lake Clark National Park — Alaska. Volcanoes, turquoise lakes, salmon rivers, glaciers, coastline, mountains, and brown bears come together in an exceptionally varied wilderness.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park — Alaska. Immense mountain ranges, glaciers, volcanoes, rivers, historic mining sites, and enormous stretches of wilderness make this the largest national park in the United States.

🌺 Hawaiʻi & American Samoa National Parks

The National Park System extends far into the Pacific, protecting active volcanoes, tropical forests, coral reefs, volcanic coastlines, high-elevation ecosystems, and places with deep cultural significance to Native Hawaiian and Samoan communities.

Haleakalā National Park — Hawaiʻi. The enormous Haleakalā volcanic landscape rises from tropical coastline to a high-elevation summit filled with cinder cones, rare species, and dramatic sunrise and sunset views.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park — Hawaiʻi. Active volcanic processes, lava fields, rainforest, volcanic craters, native ecosystems, and culturally important landscapes reveal how the Hawaiian Islands continue to evolve.
National Park of American Samoa — American Samoa. Tropical rainforest, volcanic mountains, coral reefs, beaches, fruit bats, and Samoan culture distinguish the only U.S. national park south of the equator.

🥾 Choosing Which National Park to Visit

The best national park depends on the experience you want. Travelers looking for major mountain scenery might start with Glacier, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Mount Rainier, Denali, or Yosemite. Desert travelers have an extraordinary range of choices, including Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Big Bend, Saguaro, Arches, Canyonlands, and White Sands.

Wildlife watchers may be especially drawn to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Katmai, Everglades, Theodore Roosevelt, or Great Smoky Mountains. Cave enthusiasts can explore Carlsbad Caverns, Mammoth Cave, and Wind Cave, while travelers interested in archaeology and cultural history should place Mesa Verde high on their list.

Some parks are ideal for a scenic drive and several short walks, while others require boats, aircraft, backcountry travel, or extensive planning. Season matters as well. Snow can close high mountain roads, desert heat can become dangerous, tropical parks may experience severe weather, and some remote Alaska destinations have very short practical travel seasons.

Before any trip, check current park conditions, road closures, permits, reservations, weather, and safety information with the National Park Service.

🌎 More Than a Checklist

Visiting all 63 national parks can be a memorable long-term goal, but these places are much more than destinations to check off a list. Each park protects a particular combination of geology, wildlife, ecosystems, history, archaeology, and cultural heritage.

Some of the most rewarding park visits come from slowing down enough to understand why a landscape was protected in the first place. Walk a trail before sunrise, watch wildlife from a respectful distance, learn the names of the native plants around you, explore the geological story beneath your feet, or spend time learning about the people who have lived on and cared for these landscapes for generations.

National Park Field Guide is designed to help you go deeper. Start with a park above, then explore its trails, landmarks, wildlife, history, and natural features as you plan your next national park adventure.