What was the smallest national park in the US?

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).



As of 2026, the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri, remains the smallest national park in the United States. Covering just 91 acres (0.37 square kilometers), it is significantly smaller than the second-smallest, Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, which spans about 5,550 acres. Redesignated from a National Memorial to a National Park in 2018, the site commemorates the westward expansion of the U.S. and the role of Thomas Jefferson. Its centerpiece is the 630-foot stainless steel arch, which visitors can ascend via a unique tram system. Despite its small physical footprint compared to giants like Yellowstone, it packs immense historical value and architectural significance into its urban riverfront setting, serving as a symbolic "Gateway to the West" for millions of visitors annually.

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Delaware is the only state in the country that does not have anational park, national monument, national historic site or anyother unit of the National Park Service.

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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.

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Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the U.S. Established in 1885 as the Niagara Reservation, it was the first of several such reservations that eventually became the cornerstones to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

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What is the largest national park site? Smallest?
  • Largest: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, AK, at 13.2 million acres.
  • Smallest: Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial, PA, at 0.02 acres.


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The Grand Canyon is known for its breathtaking vistas and being one of the seven natural wonders of the world. A New York Post investigation recently found it is also the deadliest national park in the country, with the most number of missing persons in the nation.

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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.

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American Samoa National Park – South Pacific While not located in the United States, the US territories of American Samoa National Park are arguably the most remote. Floating in the South Pacific, these islands are literally on the other side of the world.

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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. The other sites fall into different National Park System categories like National Historic Sites, National Monuments, National Seashores, National Recreation Areas, and others.

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Yellowstone National Park is a national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho.

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The big 3 national parks: Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon.

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Say the word “park” and you immediately think of trees. But just like Miami, neighboring Biscayne National Park is full of surprises – the first being that it's 95% under water.

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Yellowstone is the only national park shared by three states: Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Two other national parks lie in multiple states: Death Valley National Park (California and Nevada) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee and North Carolina).

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Redwood National Park The tallest known trees in the world stand in the redwood forests of the Northern California coast.

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There are 22 states without national parks: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico.

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