I was going through my photo files and found a picture of a quilt of our National Parks that actually won third place at the most recent county fair.
According to Google AI
As of 2026, there are 63 officially designated national parks in the United States, managed by the National Park Service. These "crown jewel" parks are located across 30 states and two U.S. territories, with the newest being New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. Key Details About U.S. National Parks: Total Count: 63 officially named "National Parks". Total Units: The broader National Park System includes over 430 units, including national monuments, battlefields, and historic sites. First & Latest: Yellowstone (1872) was the first; New River Gorge (2020) is the latest. Top Locations: California has the most (9), followed by Alaska (8), Utah (5), and Colorado (4). Diverse Coverage: Parks are spread across 30 states, including sites in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
While the system contains over 400 total areas, only 63 have the specific "National Park" designation.
Most people know the big-name parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite. What most people don’t realize is that the full list is way longer. There are far more national parks out there than you’d expect.
There are 63 National Parks across the U.S. Each one has its own vibe and its own kind of beauty. No two parks feel anything alike.
We’re talking everything from massive glaciers in Alaska to coral reefs in the Virgin Islands, giant sand dunes in Colorado, and wild cave systems in New Mexico.
When you look at all of them together, the variety is unreal. It really hits you how different each place is and how much there is to see. That’s a big part of why visiting every single park has turned into a lifelong goal for so many travelers. And honestly, I’m right there with them.
To make it easier, I put all 63 parks in A–Z order. It’s a quick way to see the full list without getting overwhelmed. You can scroll through and get a feel for each one at a glance.
AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARKS
Arches National Park, Utah
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Big Bend National Park, Texas
Biscayne National Park, Florida
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
Channel Islands National Park, California
Congaree National Park, South Carolina
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada
Denali National Park, Alaska
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
Everglades National Park, Florida
Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska
Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri
Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Glacier National Park, Montana
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana
Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Katmai National Park, Alaska
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska
Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa
New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia
North Cascades National Park, Washington
Olympic National Park, Washington
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Pinnacles National Park, California
Redwood National Park, California
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Sequoia National Park, California
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands
Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska
Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming
Yosemite National Park, California
Zion National Park, Utah
If you could drop everything and run off to one park right now, which one would you choose?
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