This list of 63 national parks brings every U.S. national park into one place, grouped by region with simple tips for planning your next trip.
The 63 national parks list can feel a little overwhelming at first glance. From glaciers in Alaska to coral reefs in Florida and remote Pacific islands, the system stretches across mountains, deserts, forests, and tropical coasts. This guide pulls everything together so you can see where the parks are, how they group by region, and start sketching trips that match your time and travel style.
All 63 national parks are part of the National Park Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior that looks after hundreds of protected sites across the country. The parks in this list are the crown jewels of that system, set aside for scenery, wildlife, and outdoor recreation. Below you will find an at-a-glance regional breakdown, followed by the full park list with states and simple planning ideas.
63 National Parks List By Region
To make this full list of 63 national parks easier to scan, it helps to see how many parks sit in each broad region. The table below gives a quick overview, from Alaska powerhouses down to tiny urban Gateway Arch in Missouri.
| Region | States And Areas | Number Of Parks |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Alaska | 8 |
| Pacific West | California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada | 13 |
| Rocky Mountains & Desert | Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho | 20 |
| Midwest & Great Plains | North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri | 8 |
| Northeast | Maine | 1 |
| Southeast | Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina | 9 |
| Islands & Territories | Hawaii, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands | 4 |
The National Park Service keeps an official, always up to date list of units on its Find A Park page, which is handy once you start checking off places you have visited.
Quick Facts About The 63 National Parks
Before diving into the full names in this list of 63 national parks, a few quick facts help put the system into perspective.
- There are 63 national parks spread across 30 states plus American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- California has the most with nine parks, followed by Alaska with eight, then Utah with five and Colorado with four.
- Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska is the largest park, bigger than several U.S. states combined, while Gateway Arch in Missouri is the smallest.
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling Tennessee and North Carolina, usually holds the top spot for annual visitation.
- Some parks are remote and see low visitor numbers, including Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley in Alaska.
- Many parks are paired with nearby national forests, monuments, or preserves, which means the broader protected area can be even larger than the park boundary alone.
If you want a little more background on how these places fit into the wider system, the National Park Service explains the different designations on its National Park System overview.
Full List Of The 63 U.S. National Parks
This section holds the complete list of the 63 national parks, grouped by region so you can see clusters that pair well on a single road trip or flight. Within each region, parks appear in alphabetical order with their state or territory.
Alaska National Parks
Alaska holds eight of the 63 national parks, many reachable only by small plane, boat, or long drives. Glaciers, wide river valleys, and huge wildlife ranges mean trips here often feel wilder and demand more time than lower-48 visits.
- Denali – Alaska
- Gates of the Arctic – Alaska
- Glacier Bay – Alaska
- Katmai – Alaska
- Kenai Fjords – Alaska
- Kobuk Valley – Alaska
- Lake Clark – Alaska
- Wrangell–St. Elias – Alaska
Pacific West National Parks
The Pacific West parks stretch from coastal redwoods and foggy islands to tall volcanic peaks. Road trips here can mix beach stops, big trees, and high mountain hikes in a single week, especially in California and Washington.
- Channel Islands – California
- Crater Lake – Oregon
- Death Valley – California / Nevada
- Joshua Tree – California
- Kings Canyon – California
- Lassen Volcanic – California
- Mount Rainier – Washington
- North Cascades – Washington
- Olympic – Washington
- Pinnacles – California
- Redwood – California
- Sequoia – California
- Yosemite – California
Rocky Mountains & Desert National Parks
The Rocky Mountains & Desert region covers famous western scenery, from Utah arches to the Grand Canyon and high Colorado ranges. Dry air, big elevation changes, and long drives make water, sun protection, and realistic daily mileage especially helpful.
- Arches – Utah
- Big Bend – Texas
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison – Colorado
- Bryce Canyon – Utah
- Canyonlands – Utah
- Capitol Reef – Utah
- Carlsbad Caverns – New Mexico
- Glacier – Montana
- Grand Canyon – Arizona
- Grand Teton – Wyoming
- Great Basin – Nevada
- Great Sand Dunes – Colorado
- Guadalupe Mountains – Texas
- Mesa Verde – Colorado
- Petrified Forest – Arizona
- Rocky Mountain – Colorado
- Saguaro – Arizona
- White Sands – New Mexico
- Yellowstone – Wyoming / Montana / Idaho
- Zion – Utah
Midwest & Great Plains National Parks
Midwest & Great Plains parks bring together wide prairies, deep caves, and dramatic badlands. Many of these sites sit close to major highways, which turns cross-country road trips into a handy way to visit several parks at once.
- Badlands – South Dakota
- Cuyahoga Valley – Ohio
- Gateway Arch – Missouri
- Indiana Dunes – Indiana
- Isle Royale – Michigan
- Theodore Roosevelt – North Dakota
- Voyageurs – Minnesota
- Wind Cave – South Dakota
Northeast National Parks
The lone Northeast entry, Acadia, packs mountain summits, rocky shoreline, and lakes into a compact area on the Maine coast. Crowds peak in summer and fall foliage season, so early starts and weekday visits can feel calmer.
- Acadia – Maine
Southeast National Parks
Southeast parks range from coral reefs and mangroves in south Florida to dense forests and misty ridgelines in the Appalachians. Humidity, storms, and summer heat all shape trip timing, with many travelers favoring spring and late fall.
- Biscayne – Florida
- Congaree – South Carolina
- Dry Tortugas – Florida
- Everglades – Florida
- Great Smoky Mountains – Tennessee / North Carolina
- Hot Springs – Arkansas
- Mammoth Cave – Kentucky
- New River Gorge – West Virginia
- Shenandoah – Virginia
Islands & Territories National Parks
The Island & Territory parks sit far from the mainland, which adds flight time but rewards you with reefs, lava fields, and warm beaches. Trips work well when you pair park days with extra time in nearby towns and local state sites.
- American Samoa – American Samoa
- Haleakalā – Hawaii
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes – Hawaii
- Virgin Islands – U.S. Virgin Islands
Planning Tips For Visiting The 63 National Parks
A long spreadsheet style 63 national parks list can feel cold. A few simple planning habits turn that list into real trips filled with trails, viewpoints, and campfire nights.
Start by thinking about your travel radius. If you live near Denver, say, a loop through Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Great Sand Dunes packs a lot of variety into one drive. West Coast travelers might pair Yosemite with Sequoia and Kings Canyon, or create a coastal run that hits Redwood and Channel Islands.
Season and weather matter just as much as location. High mountain parks such as Glacier, Yellowstone, and Mount Rainier can stay snow covered well into late spring. Desert parks like Saguaro and Death Valley can reach dangerous heat in summer, which pushes many hikers toward sunrise and sunset hours. Tropical parks such as Biscayne or Virgin Islands National Park have hurricane seasons to think about, so trip insurance and flexible dates can help.
Next, match trip length to the type of park. Tiny Gateway Arch National Park fits into a single afternoon in downtown St. Louis. A huge backcountry park like Wrangell–St. Elias rewards longer visits, especially if you want time for backpacking, paddling, or scenic flights.
| Trip Style | Suggested Length | Sample Park Clusters |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend Road Trip | 2–3 days | Sequoia + Kings Canyon, Arches + Canyonlands |
| One Week Loop | 6–8 days | Yosemite + Sequoia + Kings Canyon, Denver loop with Rocky Mountain + Great Sand Dunes |
| Desert Escape | 4–7 days | Joshua Tree + Death Valley, Saguaro plus nearby state parks |
| Mountain Focus | 5–9 days | Glacier + Yellowstone + Grand Teton, North Cascades + Mount Rainier + Olympic |
| Island Adventure | 4–7 days | Virgin Islands, Dry Tortugas added onto a south Florida trip |
| Alaska Expedition | 7–12 days | Denali with Kenai Fjords or Glacier Bay by cruise |
| Long Overland Trip | 2–4 weeks | Utah’s “Mighty Five” plus Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde |
No matter which parks catch your eye, give yourself a little buffer time in the schedule. Weather delays, long photo stops, and roadside wildlife sightings often become some of the best memories from a national park trip.
How To Use This List Of 63 National Parks
Think of this list of 63 national parks as a living checklist. You might print a copy, mark the parks you have already visited, and circle the ones that feel reachable in the next year or two. Some travelers chase a goal of visiting all 63, while others tend to return to a favorite region such as Alaska or the Southwest again and again.
The most practical next step is simple. Pick one region from the list, choose one or two parks that match your interests, and start planning dates and lodging. With a little pacing and realistic routes, this single list of 63 national parks can power years of rewarding trips through mountains, coasts, forests, and islands for many years ahead.