A list of National Parks with a short description

America's Beautiful National Parks

This list includes all current national parks in the United States, each offering unique natural wonders and recreational opportunities. The parks are managed by the National Park Service to preserve their natural and cultural resources for future generations.

Acadia National Park (Maine)
The crown jewel of the North Atlantic coast features rugged shorelines, towering granite cliffs, and dense woodlands. Home to Cadillac Mountain, the first place to see sunrise in the United States during certain times of the year.

Arches National Park (Utah)

A red rock wonderland containing over 2,000 natural stone arches, including the iconic Delicate Arch. Features soaring pinnacles, massive fins, and giant balanced rocks created through millions of years of erosion.

Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

A striking landscape of colorful buttes, spires, and mixed-grass prairies. Contains one of the world's richest fossil beds from the Oligocene epoch, preserving ancient rhinos, horses, and saber-toothed cats.

Big Bend National Park (Texas)
Where the Rio Grande makes a dramatic bend along the Texas-Mexico border. Encompasses the entire Chisos mountain range and large swaths of the Chihuahuan Desert, offering some of the darkest night skies in the continental U.S.

Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

Famous for its unique geology of red rock spires called "hoodoos." The amphitheater-like canyon displays a stunning array of colors at sunrise and sunset, with hiking trails winding through the otherworldly formations.

Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

A vast wilderness of canyons and buttes carved by the Colorado and Green rivers. Divided into four districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and the rivers themselves, each offering distinct experiences.

Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

Named for the white domes of Navajo Sandstone resembling capitol buildings. Features the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile wrinkle in Earth's crust, along with petroglyphs, pioneer history, and stunning desert vistas.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
A network of over 119 limestone caves beneath the Chihuahuan Desert. The main cavern chamber is nearly 4,000 feet long and home to thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats.

Channel Islands National Park (California)
Known as North America's Galápagos, comprising five islands off the California coast. Home to unique species found nowhere else on Earth, with opportunities for hiking, kayaking, and whale watching.

Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
Protects the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in North America. Features a remarkable floodplain ecosystem with some of the tallest trees in the eastern United States.

Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
America's deepest lake formed in a collapsed volcano caldera. Known for its pristine blue waters, surrounded by cliffs almost 2,000 feet high, with Wizard Island rising from the lake.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
A restored watershed between Cleveland and Akron, featuring waterfalls, forest trails, and the historic Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath. A unique blend of natural and cultural history in an urban setting.

Death Valley National Park (California/Nevada)

North America's lowest, driest, and hottest location. Features colorful badlands, salt flats, sand dunes, mountains, and rare desert wildlife adapted to extreme conditions.

Denali National Park (Alaska)

Home to North America's highest peak and diverse wildlife including grizzlies, wolves, and moose. Encompasses six million acres of wild land with glacial valleys, tundra, and taiga forest.

Everglades National Park (Florida)
The largest tropical wilderness in the United States, protecting a unique ecosystem of mangroves, sawgrass marshes, and hardwood hammocks. Essential habitat for endangered species like manatees and Florida panthers.

Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
Commemorates St. Louis' role in westward expansion, featuring the iconic 630-foot stainless steel Gateway Arch designed by Eero Saarinen.

Glacier National Park (Montana)

Known as the "Crown of the Continent," featuring pristine forests, alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes. Home to over 700 miles of hiking trails and remnant glaciers.

Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

One of the world's most spectacular examples of erosion, stretching 277 river miles and up to 18 miles wide. Reveals millions of years of geological history in its colorful rock layers.

Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

Features the majestic Teton Range rising abruptly from the valley floor. Known for pristine lakes, abundant wildlife, and over 200 miles of hiking trails.

Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
Home to ancient bristlecone pines, abundant wildlife, and Lehman Caves. Offers some of the darkest night skies in the lower 48 states.

Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
North America's tallest sand dunes, rising over 750 feet against the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Features a unique high-altitude desert ecosystem.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee/North Carolina)
America's most visited national park, known for diverse plant and animal life, historic buildings, and scenic drives. Features over 800 miles of hiking trails through ancient forests.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
Contains the world's most extensive Permian fossil reef and Texas' four highest peaks. Offers diverse ecosystems from desert to high-country conifer forests.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
Showcases two active volcanoes: Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Features dramatic volcanic landscapes, rainforests, and unique wildlife.

Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
America's first federal reserve, protecting natural hot springs. Features historic bathhouses and hiking trails through the Ouachita Mountains.

Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
Preserves 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline with massive sand dunes, wetlands, and forests. Offers unique biodiversity with over 1,100 flowering plant species.

Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
An isolated island archipelago in Lake Superior, known for its wolf and moose populations. Offers unparalleled wilderness experience with hiking and kayaking opportunities.

Joshua Tree National Park (California)

Where two distinct desert ecosystems meet, featuring unique geological features and the distinctive Joshua trees. Popular for rock climbing and stargazing.

Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
Protects nearly 40 glaciers flowing from the Harding Icefield. Features dramatic coastal scenery and abundant marine wildlife.

Kings Canyon National Park (California)
Sister park to Sequoia, featuring deep canyons, towering peaks, and giant sequoia groves. Home to some of the deepest canyons in North America.

Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
Showcases all four types of volcanoes found in the world. Features bubbling mud pots, steam vents, and pristine mountain lakes.

Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
The world's longest known cave system, with over 400 miles of surveyed passageways. Features diverse underground ecosystems and surface hiking trails.

Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
Protects some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States. Features over 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.

Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

Dominated by the 14,411-foot active volcano, featuring ancient forests, subalpine meadows, and the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.

New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
America's newest national park, protecting one of the oldest rivers in North America. Features world-class rock climbing and whitewater rafting opportunities.

North Cascades National Park (Washington)

North Cascades National Park’s rugged beauty is characterized by jagged peaks, deep forested valleys, cascading waterfalls, and over 300 glaciers — more than any other U.S. park outside of Alaska.

Olympic National Park (Washington)

Encompasses three distinct ecosystems: glacier-capped mountains, Pacific coast, and temperate rainforest. Home to some of the largest remaining stands of old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest.

Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
Showcases one of the world's largest concentrations of petrified wood, along with colorful badlands of the Painted Desert. Features ancient petroglyphs and historic structures.

Redwood National Park (California)

Protects nearly half of all remaining old-growth redwood forests in the world. Home to the tallest trees on Earth, with some exceeding 350 feet in height.

Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
Features 60 peaks over 12,000 feet, alpine lakes, and diverse wildlife. Offers spectacular drives including Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in any national park.

Saguaro National Park (Arizona)

Protects the nation's largest cacti species in their native environment. Features two districts flanking Tucson, showcasing the Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

Sequoia National Park (California)

Home to Giant Forest, which includes five of the ten largest trees in the world. Features Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States.

Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
Stretches along the Blue Ridge Mountains, featuring the scenic Skyline Drive. Known for spectacular fall colors and over 500 miles of hiking trails.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
Preserves badlands landscape and sites associated with Roosevelt's ranching days. Features colorful buttes, wildlife, and Theodore Roosevelt's Maltese Cross Cabin.

Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
A network of interconnected waterways, popular for houseboating and kayaking. Features exposed rock ridges, cliffs, and wetlands created by continental glaciation.

White Sands National Park ( New Mexico)

Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and preserves a piece of New Mexico's unique geology.

Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
One of the longest and most complex cave systems in the world. Features unique boxwork formations and mixed-grass prairie ecosystem above ground.

Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming/Montana/Idaho)

The world's first national park, featuring half of Earth's geothermal features. Home to diverse wildlife and iconic sites like Old Faithful geyser.

Yosemite National Park (California)

Known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, and giant sequoia groves. Features iconic locations like Half Dome and El Capitan.

Zion National Park (Utah)

Known for massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red. Features spectacular canyons, unique flora and fauna, and emerald pools.