National Parks — Seven Kingdoms Adventure

United States National Parks

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the "Organic Act" creating the National Park Service, a federal bureau in the Department of the Interior responsible for maintaining national parks and monuments that were then managed by the department. The National Park System has since expanded to 429 units (often referred to as parks), more than 150 related areas, and numerous programs that assist in conserving the nation's natural and cultural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations.

On this page, we focus on 63 U.S. National Parks that spread in 31 states and two U.S. territories.

National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique geological features, diverse ecosystems, and recreational opportunities, typically because of some outstanding scenic feature or nature phenomena” .**

*Source: United States National Park Services, https://www.nps.gov

**Source: Wikipedia

List of U.S. National Parks by Name*

Acadia National Park, Maine

Arches National Park, Utah

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Big Bend National Park, Texas (BR)

Biscayne National Park, Florida

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico (WHS)

Channel Islands National Park, California (BR)

Congaree National Park, South Carolina (BR)

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada (BR)

Denali National Park, Alaska (BR)

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida (BR)

Everglades National Park, Florida (WHS & BR)

Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska

Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri and Illinois

Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (WHS & BR)

Glacier National Park, Montana (WHS & BR)

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (WHS)

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (BR)

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee (WHS & BR)

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii (BR)

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii (WHS & BR)

Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan (BR)

Joshua Tree National Park, California (BR)

Katmai National Park, Alaska

Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

Kings Canyon National Park, California (BR)

Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska

Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky (WHS & BR)

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado (WHS)

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia

North Cascades National Park, Washington

Olympic National Park, Washington(WHS & BR)

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Pinnacles National Park, California

Redwood National Park, California (WHS)

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (BR)

Saguaro National Park, Arizona

Sequoia National Park, California (BR)

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

White Sands National Park, New Mexico

Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (WHS)

Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming (WHS & BR)

Yosemite National Park, California (WHS)

Zion National Park, Utah

Note:

WHS - designed UNESCO World Heritage Sites

BR - designed UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR)

Fun Facts:

First national park created: Yellowstone in 1872, followed by Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890
The state with the most national parks is California, with 9, followed by Alaska with 8, Utah with 5, and Colorado with 4
The largest national park is Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska, and the next 3 largest parks are also in Alaska.
The smallest park is Gateway Arch, Missouri.
Great Smoky Mountains has been the most-visited park since 1944