Thirty states and two U.S. territories have a total of 63 national parks. California has the most with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four.
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While the National Park System comprises 423 national park sites, only 63 of them have the National Park designation in their names.
While the National Park System comprises 423 national park sites, only 63 of them have the National Park designation in their names. The other sites fall into different National Park System categories like National Historic Sites, National Monuments, National Seashores, National Recreation Areas, and others.
Thirty states and two U.S. territories have a total of 63 national parks. California has the most with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four.
There's a total of 63 national parks in the United States. One might assume the parks would cover most of the country—but that's not the case! While there are dozens of parks, they only exist in a little more than half of the country's states. There are still 20 states that don't have a national park.
National Park of American Samoa: The least-visited US national park in 2022 saw just 1,887 visits. Most visitors will need a passport to travel to American Samoa. 2. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska: This vast park contains no roads or trails.
93-year-old grandmother and grandson complete goal of visiting all 63 U.S. national parks. By the time she was 85 years old, Joy Ryan of Duncan Falls, Ohio, had never seen the ocean or mountains. Now, she's 93 years old and has seen every corner of the U.S. – after visiting all 63 U.S. National Parks.
Remember the criteria to become a National Park. Of all the land in the Adirondack Park, only 2.6 million acres are owned by New York State. With more than half of the land privately owned (105 towns and villages exist in the Park), it could likely never live up to rule #3 under the National Park Service.
Thirty states and two U.S. territories have a total of 63 national parks. California has the most 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.
1. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska: America's least-visited national park contains no roads or trails. It's a true wilderness experience.
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 New River Gorge was given National Park Service protection in 1978 as a national river, and was expanded to New River Gorge National Park & Preserve — this country's newest national park — in the plague year of 2020 courtesy of legislation drafted by Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito.
Hawaii's 2 national parks showcase its unique volcanic landscapes and pristine tropical ecosystems. Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico each have 2 national parks, featuring stunning mountain ranges, desert landscapes, and cultural heritage sites.