Which state has the least state parks?

Which States Have the Most State Parks? California has the most state parks in the country, with 270. There are a total of 3,729 state parks in the United States, with 11 states having more than 100 state parks each. Rhode Island comes in last with just 15 state parks.



In 2026, Rhode Island holds the title for the least number of state parks, with approximately 15 official state-designated parks. This is largely due to its status as the geographically smallest state in the U.S. However, it is important to distinguish between "state parks" and "protected areas." While Rhode Island has the fewest full-scale parks, states like Delaware and North Dakota also have relatively low counts (around 17 and 13-15 respectively). If you look at "National Parks," the answer changes: several states, including Delaware, Kansas, and Nebraska, have zero traditional "National Parks" (though they do have National Monuments or Historic Sites). For travelers, Rhode Island’s small number is actually a benefit; because the state is so compact, you can visit almost every single one of its coastal and woodland state parks in a single weekend, offering a variety of scenery from the cliffs of Newport to the forests of Glocester.

People Also Ask

Which States Have No National Parks?
  • Alabama.
  • Connecticut.
  • Delaware.
  • Georgia.
  • Illinois.
  • Iowa.
  • Kansas.
  • Louisiana.


MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

California has the most with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Norwich is the only English city with part of a national park in its midst. The stretch of the River Wensum that flows through the city is part of the Broads. The Broads is in East Anglia, one of the driest regions in the country by rainfall.

MORE DETAILS

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).

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Death Valley National Park claims the hottest recorded temperature on Earth of 134 degrees, a world record that was set in 1913. Sandra Uckschweret, visiting from Germany, said the heat feels hotter than a hair dryer.

MORE DETAILS

Yosemite became a park before Yellowstone, but as a state park. Disappointed with the results 26 years later in 1890, Congress made Yosemite one of three additional national parks, along with Sequoia and General Grant, now part of Kings Canyon. Mount Rainier followed in 1899.

MORE DETAILS