Which president was credited with 5 national parks?

While president, Roosevelt helped establish and preserve 5 national parks, 18 national monuments, 55 national bird sanctuaries and wildlife refuges, and 150 national forests.



Theodore Roosevelt, often hailed as the "Conservation President," is credited with establishing five national parks during his tenure from 1901 to 1909. These were Crater Lake (1902), Wind Cave (1903), Sullys Hill (1904, later changed to a game preserve), Platt (1906, now part of Chickasaw National Recreation Area), and Mesa Verde (1906). Beyond these specific parks, his legacy is staggering; he signed the Antiquities Act of 1906, which allowed him to bypass Congress to protect land as national monuments, including the Grand Canyon. By 2026, historians estimate that Roosevelt protected approximately 230 million acres of public land. This supportive peer insight helps explain why his face is carved into Mount Rushmore; he didn't just govern a country, he actively insured its natural beauty would be preserved for the centuries that followed, setting the gold standard for global environmental policy.

People Also Ask

During his very active presidency, Theodore Roosevelt established approximately 230 million acres of public lands between 1901 and 1909, including 150 national forests, the first 55 federal bird reservation and game preserves, 5 national parks, and the first 18 national monuments.

MORE DETAILS

Recalling his legacy, Theodore Roosevelt is now commemorated at six units of the National Park System.

MORE DETAILS

Planning a Visit? Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the colorful North Dakota badlands is a great place for hiking, camping, and sightseeing. Theodore Roosevelt first fell in love with the rugged landscape of the American West while hunting bison in North Dakota in 1883.

MORE DETAILS

But Roosevelt did not create Yellowstone. More than 30 years before his visit, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, establishing the first national park in the world.

MORE DETAILS

John Muir was one of the country's most famous naturalist and conservationist and Muir Woods, part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is named in his honor. Muir is credited with both the creation of the National Park System and the establishment of the Sierra Club.

MORE DETAILS

So goes the life of the first mountain man to see Yellowstone: John Colter.

MORE DETAILS

As president, Roosevelt created five national parks (doubling the previously existing number); signed the landmark Antiquities Act and used its special provisions to unilaterally create 18 national monuments, including the Grand Canyon; set aside 51 federal bird sanctuaries, four national game refuges, and more than ...

MORE DETAILS

Today, the 70,448-acre Theodore Roosevelt National Park is home to a variety of plants and animals, and continues to memorialize the 26th president for his enduring contributions to the safekeeping and protection of our nation's resources.

MORE DETAILS

In 1966, Louisiana authorized a state park to be established at the present site of the Barataria Preserve. The park was named after Lafitte because of his smuggling operations in the area.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS