Most travelers to the USA have heard about the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. There are dozens of less-known national parks also. Here is a list of all the national parks in the USA.
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Alaska National Parks
The state of Alaska has 8 national parks:
Denali National Park
Photo of Denali © ricardo.martins
Denali National Park contains 6 million acres of wilderness — with only one road!
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Gates of the Arctic National Park is a spectacular wilderness area that contains 6 National Wild & Scenic Rivers.
Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park is most often visited by boat—cruise ship, tour boat, or kayak. The official website has a list of ways to explore the park.
Katmai National Park
Katmai National Park preserves the spectacular Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes—a massive lava flow from the 1912 eruption of Novarupta. The park is home to grizzly bears, salmon, caribou, wolverines, beavers, moose, and much more.
Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park only has one road, so plan on a boat tour. Kayaking is popular. If you prefer to explore on foot, take a guided tour of Exit Glacier.
Kobuk Valley National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park is where 1/2 million caribou migrate across the spectacular Great Kobuk Sand Dunes.
Lake Clark National Park
Lake Clark National Park has two active volcanoes—Iliamna and Redoubt.
Wrangell – St Elias National Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is where the Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountains meet to create the largest national park in the USA.
American Samoa
American Samoa is quite far from the mainland United States, but it contains a national park.
National Park of American Samoa
The National Park of American Samoa was created to “…to preserve and protect the tropical forest and archaeological and cultural resources of American Samoa, and of associated reefs, to maintain the habitat of flying foxes, [and to] preserve the ecological balance of the Samoan tropical forests…”
Arizona National Parks
The State of Arizona has 3 national parks.
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World and is a must see if visiting Arizona.
Petrified Forest National Park
The Petrified Forest is an amazing region of ancient forests that have been turned into colorful rocks.
Saguaro National Park
Photo of a saguaro cactus © ginsnob
Saguaro National Park is a great place to see the huge saguaro cacti.
Arkansas
Hot Springs
Hot Springs National Park is home to—you guessed it—hot springs! The historic bathhouse is also a museum where you can see the shock therapy that used to be part of the spa treatment.
This is part 1 of a list of all the national parks in the USA. For the other parts of the list, use the links below: