List of national parks of the United States

1938 poster promoting Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the world

The United States has 63 national parks, which are congressionally designated protected areas operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique geological features, diverse ecosystems, and recreational opportunities, typically "because of some outstanding scenic feature or natural phenomena." While legislatively all units of the National Park System are considered equal with the same mission, national parks are generally larger and more of a destination, and hunting and extractive activities are prohibited. National monuments, on the other hand, are also frequently protected for their historical or archaeological significance. Eight national parks (including six in Alaska) are paired with a national preserve, areas with different levels of protection that are administered together but considered separate units and whose areas are not included in the figures below. The 431 units of the National Park System can be broadly referred to as national parks, but most have other formal designations.

A bill creating the first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park Service "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." Many current national parks had been previously protected as national monuments by the president under the Antiquities Act or as other designations created by Congress before being redesignated by Congress; the newest national park is New River Gorge, previously a National River, and the most recent entirely new park is National Park of American Samoa. A few former national parks are no longer designated as such, or have been disbanded. Fourteen national parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS), and 21 national parks are named UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR), with eight national parks in both programs.

Thirty states have national parks, as do the territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The state with the most national parks is California with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km²), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states. The next three largest parks are also in Alaska. The smallest park is Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri, at 192.83 acres (0.7804 km²). The total area protected by national parks is approximately 52.4 million acres (212,000 km²), for an average of 833 thousand acres (3,370 km²) but a median of only 220 thousand acres (890 km²).

The national parks set a visitation record in 2021, with more than 92 million visitors. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee has been the most-visited park since 1944, and had almost 13 million visitors in 2022. In contrast, only about 9,500 people visited the remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska in 2022.

National parks

Summary

Legend

* Green – UNESCO designated World Heritage Sites (WHS)

† Blue – UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserves(BR)

‡ Purple – parks designated in both UNESCO programs

List of U.S. national parks

Name	Location	Date established as park	Area (2023)	Recreation visitors (2022)
Acadia	Maine 44.35°N 68.21°W / 44.35; -68.21 (Acadia)	February 26, 1919	49,071.40 acres (198.6 km2)	3,970,260
American Samoa	American Samoa 14.25°S 170.68°W / -14.25; -170.68 (National Park of American Samoa)	October 31, 1988	8,256.67 acres (33.4 km2)	12,135
Arches	Utah 38.68°N 109.57°W / 38.68; -109.57 (Arches)	November 12, 1971	76,678.98 acres (310.3 km2)	1,460,652
Badlands	South Dakota 43.75°N 102.50°W / 43.75; -102.50 (Badlands)	November 10, 1978	242,755.94 acres (982.4 km2)	1,006,809
Big Bend †	Texas 29.25°N 103.25°W / 29.25; -103.25 (Big Bend)	June 12, 1944	801,163.21 acres (3,242.2 km2)	514,107
Biscayne	Florida 25.65°N 80.08°W / 25.65; -80.08 (Biscayne)	June 28, 1980	172,971.11 acres (700.0 km2)	701,023
Black Canyon of the Gunnison	Colorado 38.57°N 107.72°W / 38.57; -107.72 (Black Canyon of the Gunnison)	October 21, 1999	30,779.83 acres (124.6 km2)	297,257
Bryce Canyon	Utah 37.57°N 112.18°W / 37.57; -112.18 (Bryce Canyon)	February 25, 1928	35,835.08 acres (145.0 km2)	2,354,660
Canyonlands	Utah 38.2°N 109.93°W / 38.2; -109.93 (Canyonlands)	September 12, 1964	337,597.83 acres (1,366.2 km2)	779,147
Capitol Reef	Utah 38.20°N 111.17°W / 38.20; -111.17 (Capitol Reef)	December 18, 1971	241,904.50 acres (979.0 km2)	1,227,608
Carlsbad Caverns *	New Mexico 32.17°N 104.44°W / 32.17; -104.44 (Carlsbad Caverns)	May 14, 1930	46,766.45 acres (189.3 km2)	390,932
Channel Islands †	California 34.01°N 119.42°W / 34.01; -119.42 (Channel Islands)	March 5, 1980	249,561.00 acres (1,009.9 km2)	323,245
Congaree †	South Carolina 33.78°N 80.78°W / 33.78; -80.78 (Congaree)	November 10, 2003	26,692.60 acres (108.0 km2)	204,522
Crater Lake	Oregon 42.94°N 122.1°W / 42.94; -122.1 (Crater Lake)	May 22, 1902	183,224.05 acres (741.5 km2)	527,259
Cuyahoga Valley	Ohio 41.24°N 81.55°W / 41.24; -81.55 (Cuyahoga Valley)	October 11, 2000	32,571.89 acres (131.8 km2)	2,913,312
Death Valley †	California, Nevada 36.24°N 116.82°W / 36.24; -116.82 (Death Valley)	October 31, 1994	3,408,395.63 acres (13,793.3 km2)	1,128,862
Denali †	Alaska 63.33°N 150.50°W / 63.33; -150.50 (Denali)	February 26, 1917	4,740,911.16 acres (19,185.8 km2)	427,562
Dry Tortugas †	Florida 24.63°N 82.87°W / 24.63; -82.87 (Dry Tortugas)	October 26, 1992	64,701.22 acres (261.8 km2)	78,488
Everglades ‡	Florida 25.32°N 80.93°W / 25.32; -80.93 (Everglades)	May 30, 1934	1,508,938.57 acres (6,106.5 km2)	1,155,193 (BR)
Gates of the Arctic	Alaska 67.78°N 153.30°W / 67.78; -153.30 (Gates of the Arctic)	December 2, 1980	7,523,897.45 acres (30,448.1 km2)	9,457
Gateway Arch	Missouri 38.63°N 90.19°W / 38.63; -90.19 (Gateway Arch)	February 22, 2018	192.83 acres (0.8 km2)	1,618,774
Glacier ‡	Montana 48.80°N 114.00°W / 48.80; -114.00 (Glacier)	May 11, 1910	1,013,126.39 acres (4,100.0 km2)	2,908,458
Glacier Bay ‡	Alaska 58.50°N 137.00°W / 58.50; -137.00 (Glacier Bay)	December 2, 1980	3,223,383.43 acres (13,044.6 km2)	545,758
Grand Canyon *	Arizona 36.06°N 112.14°W / 36.06; -112.14 (Grand Canyon)	February 26, 1919	1,201,647.03 acres (4,862.9 km2)	4,732,101
Grand Teton †	Wyoming 43.73°N 110.80°W / 43.73; -110.80 (Grand Teton)	February 26, 1929	310,044.36 acres (1,254.7 km2)	2,806,223 (BR)
Great Basin	Nevada 38.98°N 114.30°W / 38.98; -114.30 (Great Basin)	October 27, 1986	77,180.00 acres (312.3 km2)	142,115
Great Sand Dunes	Colorado 37.73°N 105.51°W / 37.73; -105.51 (Great Sand Dunes)	September 24, 2004	107,345.73 acres (434.4 km2)	493,428
Great Smoky Mountains ‡	North Carolina, Tennessee 35.68°N 83.53°W / 35.68; -83.53 (Great Smoky Mountains)	June 15, 1934	522,426.88 acres (2,114.2 km2)	12,937,633
Guadalupe Mountains	Texas 31.92°N 104.87°W / 31.92; -104.87 (Guadalupe Mountains)	September 30, 1972	86,367.10 acres (349.5 km2)	219,987
Haleakalā †	Hawaii 20.72°N 156.17°W / 20.72; -156.17 (Haleakalā)	July 1, 1961	33,488.98 acres (135.5 km2)	1,087,616
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes ‡	Hawaii 19.38°N 155.20°W / 19.38; -155.20 (Hawaiʻi Volcanoes)	August 1, 1916	344,812.18 acres (1,395.4 km2)	1,580,961 (BR)
Hot Springs	Arkansas 34.51°N 93.05°W / 34.51; -93.05 (Hot Springs)	March 4, 1921	5,554.15 acres (22.5 km2)	2,646,133
Indiana Dunes	Indiana 41.6533°N 87.0524°W / 41.6533; -87.0524 (Indiana Dunes)	February 15, 2019	15,349.08 acres (62.1 km2)	2,834,180
Isle Royale †	Michigan 48.10°N 88.55°W / 48.10; -88.55 (Isle Royale)	April 3, 1940	571,790.30 acres (2,314.0 km2)	25,454
Joshua Tree †	California 33.79°N 115.90°W / 33.79; -115.90 (Joshua Tree)	October 31, 1994	795,155.85 acres (3,217.9 km2)	3,058,294 (BR)
Katmai	Alaska 58.50°N 155.00°W / 58.50; -155.00 (Katmai)	December 2, 1980	3,674,529.33 acres (14,870.3 km2)	33,908
Kenai Fjords	Alaska 59.92°N 149.65°W / 59.92; -149.65 (Kenai Fjords)	December 2, 1980	669,650.05 acres (2,710.0 km2)	389,943
Kings Canyon †	California 36.80°N 118.55°W / 36.80; -118.55 (Kings Canyon)	March 4, 1940	461,901.20 acres (1,869.2 km2)	640,986 (BR)
Kobuk Valley	Alaska 67.55°N 159.28°W / 67.55; -159.28 (Kobuk Valley)	December 2, 1980	1,750,716.16 acres (7,084.9 km2)	16,925
Lake Clark	Alaska 60.97°N 153.42°W / 60.97; -153.42 (Lake Clark)	December 2, 1980	2,619,816.49 acres (10,602.0 km2)	18,187
Lassen Volcanic	California 40.49°N 121.51°W / 40.49; -121.51 (Lassen Volcanic)	August 9, 1916	106,589.02 acres (431.4 km2)	446,291
Mammoth Cave ‡	Kentucky 37.18°N 86.10°W / 37.18; -86.10 (Mammoth Cave)	July 1, 1941	72,472.87 acres (293.3 km2)	663,147
Mesa Verde *	Colorado 37.18°N 108.49°W / 37.18; -108.49 (Mesa Verde)	June 29, 1906	52,485.17 acres (212.4 km2)	499,790
Mount Rainier	Washington 46.85°N 121.75°W / 46.85; -121.75 (Mount Rainier)	March 2, 1899	236,381.64 acres (956.6 km2)	1,622,395
New River Gorge	West Virginia 38.07°N 81.08°W / 38.07; -81.08 (New River Gorge)	December 27, 2020	7,021 acres (28.4 km2)	1,593,523
North Cascades	Washington 48.70°N 121.20°W / 48.70; -121.20 (North Cascades)	October 2, 1968	504,780.94 acres (2,042.8 km2)	30,154
Olympic ‡	Washington 47.97°N 123.50°W / 47.97; -123.50 (Olympic)	June 29, 1938	922,649.41 acres (3,733.8 km2)	2,432,972
Petrified Forest	Arizona 35.07°N 109.78°W / 35.07; -109.78 (Petrified Forest)	December 9, 1962	221,390.21 acres (895.9 km2)	505,209
Pinnacles	California 36.48°N 121.16°W / 36.48; -121.16 (Pinnacles)	January 10, 2013	26,685.73 acres (108.0 km2)	275,023
Redwood *	California 41.30°N 124.00°W / 41.30; -124.00 (Redwood)	October 2, 1968	138,999.37 acres (562.5 km2)	458,400
Rocky Mountain †	Colorado 40.40°N 105.58°W / 40.40; -105.58 (Rocky Mountain)	January 26, 1915	265,847.74 acres (1,075.8 km2)	4,300,424
Saguaro	Arizona 32.25°N 110.50°W / 32.25; -110.50 (Saguaro)	October 14, 1994	92,876.75 acres (375.9 km2)	908,194
Sequoia †	California 36.43°N 118.68°W / 36.43; -118.68 (Sequoia)	September 25, 1890	404,062.63 acres (1,635.2 km2)	1,153,198
Shenandoah	Virginia 38.53°N 78.35°W / 38.53; -78.35 (Shenandoah)	December 26, 1935	200,445.92 acres (811.2 km2)	1,449,300
Theodore Roosevelt	North Dakota 46.97°N 103.45°W / 46.97; -103.45 (Theodore Roosevelt)	November 10, 1978	70,446.89 acres (285.1 km2)	668,679
Virgin Islands	U.S. Virgin Islands 18.33°N 64.73°W / 18.33; -64.73 (Virgin Islands)	August 2, 1956	15,052.33 acres (60.9 km2)	196,752
Voyageurs	Minnesota 48.50°N 92.88°W / 48.50; -92.88 (Voyageurs)	April 8, 1975	218,222.35 acres (883.1 km2)	221,434
White Sands	New Mexico 32.78°N 106.17°W / 32.78; -106.17 (White Sands)	December 20, 2019	146,344.31 acres (592.2 km2)	705,127
Wind Cave	South Dakota 43.57°N 103.48°W / 43.57; -103.48 (Wind Cave)	January 9, 1903	33,970.84 acres (137.5 km2)	607,418
Wrangell–St. Elias *	Alaska 61.00°N 142.00°W / 61.00; -142.00 (Wrangell – St. Elias)	December 2, 1980	8,323,146.48 acres (33,682.6 km2)	65,236
Yellowstone ‡	Wyoming, Montana, Idaho 44.60°N 110.50°W / 44.60; -110.50 (Yellowstone)	March 1, 1872	2,219,790.71 acres (8,983.2 km2)	3,290,242
Yosemite *	California 37.83°N 119.50°W / 37.83; -119.50 (Yosemite)	October 1, 1890	761,747.50 acres (3,082.7 km2)	3,667,550
Zion	Utah 37.30°N 113.05°W / 37.30; -113.05 (Zion)	November 19, 1919	147,242.66 acres (595.9 km2)	4,692,417

Acadia National Park

Covering most of Mount Desert Island and other coastal islands, Acadia features the tallest mountain on the Atlantic coast of the United States, granite peaks, ocean shoreline, woodlands, and lakes. There are freshwater, estuary, forest, and intertidal habitats.

National Park of American Samoa

The southernmost national park is on three Samoan islands in the South Pacific. It protects coral reefs, rainforests, volcanic mountains, and white beaches. The area is also home to flying foxes, brown boobies, sea turtles, and 900 species of fish.

Arches National Park

This site features more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, with some of the most popular arches in the park being Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch and Double Arch. Millions of years of erosion have created these structures in a desert climate where the arid ground has life-sustaining biological soil crusts and potholes that serve as natural water-collecting basins. Other geologic formations include stone pinnacles, fins, and balancing rocks.

Badlands National Park

The Badlands are a collection of buttes, pinnacles, spires, and mixed-grass prairies within the drainage basin of the White River, in southwestern South Dakota. They contain the largest known assemblage of late Eocene and Oligocene mammal fossils. Wildlife includes bison, bighorn sheep, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs.

Biscayne National Park

The central part of Biscayne Bay, this mostly underwater park at the north end of the Florida Keys has four interrelated marine ecosystems: mangrove forest, the Bay, the Keys, and coral reefs. Threatened animals include the West Indian manatee, American crocodile, various sea turtles, and the peregrine falcon.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

The park protects a quarter of the Gunnison River, which slices sheer canyon walls from dark Precambrian-era rock. The canyon features some of the steepest cliffs and oldest rock in North America, and is a popular site for river rafting and rock climbing. The deep, narrow canyon is composed of gneiss and schist, which appears black when in shadow.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon is a geological amphitheater on southern Utah's Paunsaugunt Plateau with hundreds of tall, multicolored sandstone hoodoos formed by erosion. The region was originally settled by Native Americans and later by Mormon pioneers.

Canyonlands National Park

This landscape was eroded into a maze of canyons, buttes, and mesas by the combined efforts of the Colorado River, Green River, and their tributaries, which divide the park into three districts. The park contains thousands of rock pinnacles and arches, as well as artifacts from Ancient Pueblo peoples.

Capitol Reef National Park

The park's Waterpocket Fold is a 100-mile (160 km) monocline that exhibits the earth's diverse geologic layers. Other natural features include monoliths, eroded buttes, and sandstone domes, including one shaped like the United States Capitol.

Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake lies in the caldera of an ancient volcano called Mount Mazama that collapsed 7,700 years ago. The lake is the deepest in the United States and is noted for its vivid blue color and water clarity. Wizard Island and the Phantom Ship are more recent volcanic formations within the caldera. As the lake has no inlets or outlets, it is replenished only by precipitation.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

This park along the Cuyahoga River has waterfalls, hills, trails, and exhibits on early rural living. The Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail follows the Ohio and Erie Canal, where mules towed canal boats. The park has numerous historic homes, bridges, and structures, and also offers a scenic train ride.

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

The country's northernmost park protects an expanse of pure wilderness in Alaska's Brooks Range and has no park facilities. The land is home to Alaska Natives who have relied on the land and caribou for 11,000 years.

Gateway Arch National Park

The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot (192 m) (both high and wide) catenary arch built in the 1960s to commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition, initiated by Thomas Jefferson, and the subsequent westward expansion of the country. The nearby Old Courthouse, across a greenway to the west of the arch, was the original site of the landmark Dred Scott case about slavery. An underground museum describes the arch's construction and the country's westward expansion.

Great Basin National Park

Based around Nevada's second tallest mountain, Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park protects 5,000-year-old bristlecone pines, a rock glacier, and the limestone Lehman Caves. Due to its remote location, the park is home to some of the country's darkest night skies. Wildlife includes the Townsend's big-eared bat, pronghorn, and Bonneville cutthroat trout.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

The tallest sand dunes in North America, up to 750 feet (230 m) tall, were formed by deposits of the ancient Rio Grande in the San Luis Valley. Abutting a variety of grasslands, shrublands, and wetlands, the park also features alpine lakes, six 13,000-foot mountains, and old-growth forests.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

This park contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, as well as the scenic McKittrick Canyon filled with bigtooth maples, a corner of the arid Chihuahuan Desert, and a fossilized coral reef from the Permian era.

Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs was originally established by Congress as a federal reserve on April 20, 1832, making it the oldest area managed by the National Park Service. Natural thermal springs flow out of the Ouachita Mountains, providing opportunities for relaxation in a historic setting. Bathhouse Row preserves examples of 19th-century architecture. Hot Springs is the first national park within a city and was the smallest national park until 2018.

Indiana Dunes National Park

Previously designated a national lakeshore, parts of this 20-mile (32 km) stretch of the southern shore of Lake Michigan have sandy beaches and tall dunes. The park includes grassy prairies, peat bogs, and marsh wetlands home to over 2,000 species.

Katmai National Park and Preserve

This park on the Alaska Peninsula protects the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, an ash flow formed by the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, and the stratovolcano Mount Katmai. Over 2,000 grizzly bears come here each year to catch spawning salmon. Other wildlife includes caribou, wolves, moose, and wolverines.

Kenai Fjords National Park

Near Seward on the Kenai Peninsula, this park protects the Harding Icefield and at least 38 glaciers and fjords stemming from it. The only area accessible to the public by road is the rapidly shrinking Exit Glacier. Boat and kayak tours offer views of tidewater glaciers, whales, sea lions, and marine birds.

Kobuk Valley National Park

Kobuk Valley protects 61 miles (98 km) of the Kobuk River and three regions of sand dunes. Created by glaciers, the Great Kobuk, Little Kobuk, and Hunt River Sand Dunes can reach 100 feet (30 m) high and 100 °F (38 °C), and they are the largest dunes in the Arctic. Twice a year, half a million caribou migrate through the dunes and across river bluffs that expose well-preserved ice age fossils.

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

The region around Lake Clark features four active volcanoes, including Mount Redoubt, as well as an abundance of rivers, glaciers, and waterfalls. Temperate rainforests, a tundra plateau, and three mountain ranges complete the landscape.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Peak, the largest lava dome volcano in the world, is joined by all three other types of volcanoes in this park: shield, cinder cone, and composite. Though Lassen itself last erupted in 1915, most of the rest of the park is continuously active. Numerous hydrothermal features, including fumaroles, boiling pools, and bubbling mud pots, are heated by molten rock from beneath the peak.

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the most prominent peak in the Cascades and is covered by 26 named glaciers including Carbon Glacier and Emmons Glacier, the longest and largest in the contiguous United States respectively. The mountain is popular for climbing, and more than half of the park is covered by subalpine and alpine forests and meadows seasonally in bloom with wildflowers. Paradise on the south slope is among the snowiest places on Earth. The Longmire visitor center is the start of the Wonderland Trail, which encircles the mountain.

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

The New River Gorge is the deepest river gorge east of the Mississippi River. The park primarily covers the lower gorge area around the New River Gorge Bridge, which features some of the country's best whitewater rafting. Smaller noncontiguous sections showcase the ghost town of Thurmond, the scenic Grandview vista, and Sandstone Falls. The other 65,165 acres (263.71 km²) of the redesignated national river is now a national preserve, spanning 53 mi (85 km) of the New River.

North Cascades National Park

The highly glaciated mountains of the North Cascades Range exhibit a spectacular and complex geologic history. Between the river valleys and high peaks there are eight diverse life zones with 75 mammal and 1,600 vascular plant species. Popular hiking and climbing areas of the Stephen Mather Wilderness include Cascade Pass, Mount Shuksan, Mount Triumph, and Eldorado Peak. Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas adjoin the two segments of the park and are all administered together.

Petrified Forest National Park

This portion of the Chinle Formation has a large concentration of 225-million-year-old petrified wood. The surrounding Painted Desert features eroded cliffs of red-hued volcanic rock called bentonite. Dinosaur fossils and over 350 Native American sites are also protected in this park.

Saguaro National Park

Split into the separate Rincon Mountain and Tucson Mountain districts, this park is evidence that the dry Sonoran Desert is still home to a great variety of life spanning six biotic communities. Beyond the namesake giant saguaro cacti, there are barrel cacti, chollas, and prickly pears, as well as lesser long-nosed bats, spotted owls, and javelinas.

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah's Blue Ridge Mountains are covered by hardwood forests that teem with a wide variety of wildlife. The Skyline Drive and Appalachian Trail run the entire length of this narrow park, along with more than 500 miles (800 km) of hiking trails passing scenic overlooks and cataracts of the Shenandoah River.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

This region that enticed and influenced President Theodore Roosevelt consists of a park of three units in the northern badlands. Besides Roosevelt's historic cabin, there are numerous scenic drives and backcountry hiking opportunities. Wildlife includes American bison, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and wild horses.

Virgin Islands National Park

This island park on Saint John preserves pristine beaches surrounded by mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. It also has Taíno archaeological sites and the ruins of sugar plantations from Columbus's time.

Voyageurs National Park

This park protecting four lakes near the Canada–US border is a site for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. The park also preserves a history populated by Ojibwe Native Americans, French fur traders called voyageurs, and gold miners. Formed by glaciers, the region features tall bluffs, rock gardens, islands, bays, and several historic buildings.

Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave is distinctive for its calcite fin formations called boxwork, a unique formation rarely found elsewhere, and needle-like growths called frostwork. It is one of the longest caves in the world and creates a wind as air pressure changes. Above ground is a mixed-grass prairie with animals such as bison, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs and ponderosa pine forests home to cougars and elk. The cave is culturally significant to the Lakota people as a creation site.

Zion National Park

Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert, this park contains sandstone features such as mesas, rock towers, and canyons, including the Virgin River Narrows. The various sandstone formations and the forks of the Virgin River create a wilderness divided into four ecosystems: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest.

Parks by state or territory

The following table includes the 30 states and two territories that have national parks. Exclusive parks refer to parks entirely within one state or territory. Shared parks refer to parks in multiple states.

Territories are set in italics.

State	Total parks	Exclusive parks	Shared parks
California	9	8	1
Alaska	8	8	—
Utah	5	5	—
Colorado	4	4	—
Arizona	3	3	—
Florida	3	3	—
Washington	3	3	—
Hawaii	2	2	—
New Mexico	2	2	—
South Dakota	2	2	—
Texas	2	2	—
Montana	2	1	1
Nevada	2	1	1
Wyoming	2	1	1
American Samoa	1	1	—
Arkansas	1	1	—
Indiana	1	1	—
Kentucky	1	1	—
Maine	1	1	—
Michigan	1	1	—
Minnesota	1	1	—
Missouri	1	1	—
North Dakota	1	1	—
Ohio	1	1	—
Oregon	1	1	—
South Carolina	1	1	—
U.S. Virgin Islands	1	1	—
Virginia	1	1	—
West Virginia	1	1	—
Idaho	1	—	1
North Carolina	1	—	1
Tennessee	1	—	1

See also

• National Park Service
• History of the National Park Service
• List of areas in the United States National Park System
• List of the United States National Park System official units
• List of national monuments of the United States
• List of National Wildlife Refuges of the United States
• List of U.S. National Forests
• Lists of state parks by U.S. state
• List of World Heritage Sites in the United States

External links

• Official website of the National Park Service (NPS)
• Find a park (NPS)
• Visitor use statistics (NPS)
• The National Parks: America's Best Idea by PBS
• America's Natural Heritage - The Essential Guide to the National Parks by The Washington Post
• List of National Parks by State