| acadia | Acadia | Maine | 1919 | 76.37 | 3970000 | 44.35 | -68.21 | Rocky headlands and the highest point on the US Atlantic coast, with granite peaks, ocean shoreline, and woodlands on Mount Desert Island. | northeast | |
| arches | Arches | Utah | 1971 | 119.81 | 1600000 | 38.68 | -109.57 | Over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the iconic Delicate Arch, in a red rock desert landscape. | west | |
| badlands | Badlands | South Dakota | 1978 | 379.3 | 1000000 | 43.75 | -102.5 | Dramatic layered rock formations, steep canyons, and one of the world's richest fossil beds, surrounded by mixed-grass prairie. | midwest | |
| big-bend | Big Bend | Texas | 1944 | 1251.36 | 460000 | 29.25 | -103.25 | Remote desert wilderness along the Rio Grande with the Chisos Mountains, deep canyons, and some of the darkest night skies in North America. | southwest | |
| biscayne | Biscayne | Florida | 1980 | 270.3 | 710000 | 25.65 | -80.08 | A largely underwater park protecting coral reefs, mangrove shorelines, and the northernmost Florida Keys. | southeast | |
| black-canyon-of-the-gunnison | Black Canyon of the Gunnison | Colorado | 1999 | 48.58 | 310000 | 38.57 | -107.72 | A narrow, steep-walled gorge carved by the Gunnison River, with some of the oldest exposed rock in North America. | west | |
| bryce-canyon | Bryce Canyon | Utah | 1928 | 56.22 | 2400000 | 37.57 | -112.18 | Thousands of red, orange, and white hoodoos — tall irregular columns of rock — in a natural amphitheater at high elevation. | west | |
| canyonlands | Canyonlands | Utah | 1964 | 527.07 | 920000 | 38.2 | -109.93 | Vast desert landscape of canyons, mesas, and buttes carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers into colorful layers of rock. | west | |
| capitol-reef | Capitol Reef | Utah | 1971 | 378.15 | 1200000 | 38.2 | -111.17 | A 100-mile wrinkle in the earth's crust called the Waterpocket Fold, with colorful cliffs, canyons, domes, and historic orchards. | west | |
| carlsbad-caverns | Carlsbad Caverns | New Mexico | 1930 | 73.07 | 440000 | 32.17 | -104.44 | Over 100 limestone caves formed by sulfuric acid dissolution, including the massive Big Room, with nightly bat flights in summer. | southwest | |
| channel-islands | Channel Islands | California | 1980 | 390.57 | 410000 | 34.01 | -119.42 | Five remote islands off the Southern California coast with unique endemic species, sea caves, and pristine marine environments. | pacific | |
| congaree | Congaree | South Carolina | 2003 | 41.69 | 215000 | 33.78 | -80.78 | The largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern United States, with champion trees and rich biodiversity. | southeast | |
| crater-lake | Crater Lake | Oregon | 1902 | 286.29 | 700000 | 42.87 | -122.17 | The deepest lake in the United States, formed in the caldera of collapsed Mount Mazama, known for its remarkably clear, deep blue water. | pacific | |
| cuyahoga-valley | Cuyahoga Valley | Ohio | 2000 | 51.14 | 2800000 | 41.24 | -81.55 | A pastoral valley along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron, with waterfalls, rolling hills, and a scenic railroad. | midwest | |
| death-valley | Death Valley | California | 1994 | 5270 | 1100000 | 36.24 | -116.82 | The hottest, driest, and lowest national park, with Badwater Basin at 282 feet below sea level, sand dunes, and colorful badlands. | west | |
| denali | Denali | Alaska | 1917 | 9492 | 590000 | 63.33 | -150.5 | Home to Denali (Mount McKinley), the highest peak in North America at 20,310 feet, with vast subarctic wilderness and abundant wildlife. | alaska | |
| dry-tortugas | Dry Tortugas | Florida | 1992 | 101.65 | 84000 | 24.63 | -82.87 | A remote cluster of islands 70 miles west of Key West, featuring massive Fort Jefferson, coral reefs, and crystal-clear waters. | southeast | |
| everglades | Everglades | Florida | 1947 | 2357 | 950000 | 25.29 | -80.93 | A vast subtropical wetland ecosystem — the largest tropical wilderness in the US — home to manatees, crocodiles, and the Florida panther. | southeast | |
| gates-of-the-arctic | Gates of the Arctic | Alaska | 1980 | 13238 | 7362 | 67.78 | -153.3 | The northernmost national park, entirely above the Arctic Circle, with no roads or trails in a vast wilderness of mountains and tundra. | alaska | |
| gateway-arch | Gateway Arch | Missouri | 2018 | 0.14 | 2060000 | 38.63 | -90.19 | The tallest man-made monument in the United States, the 630-foot stainless steel Gateway Arch commemorates westward expansion. | midwest | |
| glacier | Glacier | Montana | 1910 | 1583 | 2900000 | 48.8 | -114 | Rugged mountain landscape with over 700 miles of trails, remnant glaciers, alpine meadows, and the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road. | west | |
| glacier-bay | Glacier Bay | Alaska | 1980 | 5130 | 600000 | 58.67 | -137 | Tidewater glaciers, fjords, and temperate rainforest along the Alaskan coast, showcasing ongoing glacial retreat and ecological succession. | alaska | |
| grand-canyon | Grand Canyon | Arizona | 1919 | 1904 | 6400000 | 36.1 | -112.11 | A mile-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River exposing nearly two billion years of geological history in layered bands of colorful rock. | southwest | |
| grand-teton | Grand Teton | Wyoming | 1929 | 484.26 | 3400000 | 43.73 | -110.8 | Dramatic, jagged peaks of the Teton Range rising abruptly above the valley floor, with pristine alpine lakes and abundant wildlife. | west | |
| great-basin | Great Basin | Nevada | 1986 | 121.12 | 150000 | 38.98 | -114.3 | Ancient bristlecone pines, Lehman Caves, and Wheeler Peak in a remote desert mountain range with exceptional stargazing. | west | |
| great-sand-dunes | Great Sand Dunes | Colorado | 2004 | 149.14 | 600000 | 37.73 | -105.51 | The tallest sand dunes in North America, rising over 750 feet against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with alpine lakes and tundra above. | west | |
| great-smoky-mountains | Great Smoky Mountains | Tennessee, North Carolina | 1934 | 816.28 | 12100000 | 35.68 | -83.53 | The most visited national park in the US, with mist-shrouded peaks, diverse plant life, synchronous fireflies, and historic Appalachian structures. | southeast | |
| guadalupe-mountains | Guadalupe Mountains | Texas | 1972 | 135.97 | 240000 | 31.92 | -104.87 | The world's most extensive Permian fossil reef, with Guadalupe Peak — the highest point in Texas — and McKittrick Canyon's fall colors. | southwest | |
| haleakala | Haleakala | Hawaii | 1961 | 52.13 | 1100000 | 20.72 | -156.17 | A massive shield volcano on Maui with a dramatic summit crater, rare silversword plants, and endangered nene geese above the clouds. | islands | |
| hawaii-volcanoes | Hawaii Volcanoes | Hawaii | 1916 | 523.01 | 1400000 | 19.38 | -155.2 | Home to Kilauea and Mauna Loa, two of the world's most active volcanoes, with lava flows, volcanic craters, and unique ecosystems. | islands | |
| hot-springs | Hot Springs | Arkansas | 1921 | 8.98 | 2100000 | 34.51 | -93.05 | Natural thermal springs flowing from the western slope of Hot Springs Mountain, with historic Bathhouse Row along a forested Ouachita mountain valley. | southeast | |
| indiana-dunes | Indiana Dunes | Indiana | 2019 | 24.53 | 3600000 | 41.65 | -87.05 | Sandy beaches and towering dunes along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, with remarkable plant diversity across bogs, marshes, and prairies. | midwest | |
| isle-royale | Isle Royale | Michigan | 1940 | 893.1 | 26000 | 48.1 | -88.55 | A remote island wilderness in Lake Superior, famous for the long-running wolf-moose predator-prey study and pristine boreal forests. | midwest | |
| joshua-tree | Joshua Tree | California | 1994 | 1235.4 | 3000000 | 33.87 | -115.9 | Where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet, with twisted Joshua trees, giant boulder formations, and stark desert landscapes. | pacific | |
| katmai | Katmai | Alaska | 1980 | 5765 | 64000 | 58.6 | -155 | Famous for Brooks Falls where brown bears catch leaping salmon, with the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes from a massive 1912 volcanic eruption. | alaska | |
| kenai-fjords | Kenai Fjords | Alaska | 1980 | 1047 | 410000 | 59.92 | -149.65 | The Harding Icefield feeds dozens of glaciers that flow into the sea, with fjords, marine wildlife, and coastal rainforest. | alaska | |
| kings-canyon | Kings Canyon | California | 1940 | 722.47 | 560000 | 36.89 | -118.55 | One of the deepest canyons in North America, with giant sequoia groves, granite walls, and the wild South Fork of the Kings River. | pacific | |
| kobuk-valley | Kobuk Valley | Alaska | 1980 | 2735 | 11540 | 67.55 | -159.28 | Arctic sand dunes and boreal forest along the Kobuk River, with caribou migrations and one of the least-visited national parks. | alaska | |
| lake-clark | Lake Clark | Alaska | 1980 | 6297 | 18000 | 60.97 | -153.42 | Steaming volcanoes, glacial lakes, wild rivers, and coastal brown bears in a roadless Alaskan wilderness. | alaska | |
| lassen-volcanic | Lassen Volcanic | California | 1916 | 166.73 | 530000 | 40.49 | -121.51 | All four types of volcanoes found in one park — plug dome, shield, cinder cone, and stratovolcano — with boiling mudpots and fumaroles. | pacific | |
| mammoth-cave | Mammoth Cave | Kentucky | 1941 | 82.78 | 510000 | 37.19 | -86.1 | The longest known cave system in the world, with over 400 miles of explored passageways through ancient limestone. | southeast | |
| mesa-verde | Mesa Verde | Colorado | 1906 | 81.77 | 560000 | 37.18 | -108.49 | Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings built into alcoves of sandstone cliffs, including the famous Cliff Palace, the largest in North America. | southwest | |
| mount-rainier | Mount Rainier | Washington | 1899 | 369.35 | 1900000 | 46.85 | -121.76 | An active stratovolcano and the most glaciated peak in the contiguous US, with wildflower meadows, old-growth forest, and 26 major glaciers. | pacific | |
| national-park-of-american-samoa | National Park of American Samoa | American Samoa | 1988 | 21.08 | 8495 | -14.26 | -170.68 | Tropical rainforests, coral reefs, and volcanic islands preserving Samoan culture and the only US national park south of the equator. | islands | |
| new-river-gorge | New River Gorge | West Virginia | 2020 | 11.34 | 1600000 | 38.07 | -81.08 | One of the oldest rivers in North America cutting through a deep Appalachian gorge, a premier destination for rock climbing and whitewater rafting. | southeast | |
| north-cascades | North Cascades | Washington | 1968 | 789.75 | 38000 | 48.77 | -121.21 | Rugged mountain wilderness with over 300 glaciers, jagged peaks, alpine meadows, and the turquoise waters of Diablo and Ross Lakes. | pacific | |
| olympic | Olympic | Washington | 1938 | 1441.96 | 3200000 | 47.97 | -123.5 | Three distinct ecosystems — glacier-capped mountains, temperate rainforest dripping with moss, and wild Pacific coastline — in one park. | pacific | |
| petrified-forest | Petrified Forest | Arizona | 1962 | 346.1 | 600000 | 35.08 | -109.79 | Colorful badlands of the Painted Desert with one of the world's largest concentrations of petrified wood from the Late Triassic period. | southwest | |
| pinnacles | Pinnacles | California | 2013 | 41.56 | 280000 | 36.49 | -121.18 | Remnants of an ancient volcano with towering rock spires, talus caves, and a reintroduced population of endangered California condors. | pacific | |
| redwood | Redwood | California | 1968 | 215.82 | 520000 | 41.3 | -124 | Home to the tallest trees on Earth — coast redwoods exceeding 370 feet — along with prairies, rivers, and rugged coastline. | pacific | |
| rocky-mountain | Rocky Mountain | Colorado | 1915 | 415.35 | 4300000 | 40.34 | -105.68 | Alpine tundra, mountain peaks over 12,000 feet, and Trail Ridge Road — the highest continuous paved road in the US — with elk herds and wildflowers. | west | |
| saguaro | Saguaro | Arizona | 1994 | 143.44 | 1100000 | 32.25 | -111.17 | Iconic giant saguaro cacti in the Sonoran Desert surrounding Tucson, some standing over 40 feet tall and living 150 years or more. | southwest | |
| sequoia | Sequoia | California | 1890 | 631.21 | 1200000 | 36.49 | -118.57 | Giant sequoia groves including General Sherman, the world's largest tree by volume, with deep canyons and the Sierra Nevada crest. | pacific | |
| shenandoah | Shenandoah | Virginia | 1935 | 311.41 | 1400000 | 38.53 | -78.35 | A long, narrow park along the Blue Ridge Mountains with Skyline Drive, cascading waterfalls, and spectacular fall foliage. | southeast | |
| theodore-roosevelt | Theodore Roosevelt | North Dakota | 1978 | 110.58 | 600000 | 46.97 | -103.45 | Colorful badlands along the Little Missouri River where Theodore Roosevelt ranched and developed his conservation ethic. | midwest | |
| virgin-islands | Virgin Islands | US Virgin Islands | 1956 | 23.39 | 323000 | 18.33 | -64.73 | Tropical beaches, coral reefs, and remnants of colonial sugar plantations on the island of St. John in the Caribbean. | islands | |
| voyageurs | Voyageurs | Minnesota | 1975 | 341.59 | 240000 | 48.5 | -92.88 | A water-based park along the US-Canada border with interconnected lakes, boreal forest, and the historic route of French-Canadian fur traders. | midwest | |
| white-sands | White Sands | New Mexico | 2019 | 228 | 610000 | 32.78 | -106.17 | The world's largest gypsum dune field, with brilliant white sand dunes that shift and reshape across the Tularosa Basin. | southwest | |
| wind-cave | Wind Cave | South Dakota | 1903 | 53.34 | 710000 | 43.57 | -103.48 | One of the longest and most complex caves in the world, known for rare boxwork calcite formations, above a mixed-grass prairie with bison. | midwest | |
| wrangell-st-elias | Wrangell-St. Elias | Alaska | 1980 | 20587 | 75000 | 61 | -142 | The largest national park in the US, with the continent's greatest collection of peaks above 16,000 feet, massive glaciers, and wild rivers. | alaska | |
| yellowstone | Yellowstone | Wyoming, Montana, Idaho | 1872 | 3471 | 4500000 | 44.6 | -110.5 | The world's first national park, sitting atop a supervolcano, with geysers including Old Faithful, hot springs, and abundant megafauna. | west | |
| yosemite | Yosemite | California | 1890 | 1187.43 | 3900000 | 37.87 | -119.54 | Granite cliffs, giant sequoias, and towering waterfalls including Yosemite Falls, the tallest in North America, in a glacially carved valley. | pacific | |
| zion | Zion | Utah | 1919 | 229.12 | 4700000 | 37.3 | -113.05 | Towering red and white Navajo sandstone cliffs along the Virgin River, with narrow slot canyons and the famous Angels Landing trail. | west | |