California holds the record for the number of national parks in one state (there are 9 of them…Alaska comes in second place with 8).In 2022, Gates of the Arctic in Alaska had just 9,500 visitors…Great Smoky Mountains gets five times that in just one day!!.

The remote national parks in Alaska (Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley) tend to be the least visited national parks.

Great Smoky Mountains tends to be the most visited park every year.

The smallest national park is Gateway Arch…it’s only 91 acres (the next smallest park is Hot Springs at 5,600 acres…big difference!).

At 13 million acres, it is twice the size of Maryland and 6 times the size of Yellowstone.

The largest national park is Wrangell – St.

New River Gorge is the latest addition to the US national parks list (December 27, 2020).

Yellowstone was the first national park to be created (March 1, 1872).

Here are some interesting facts about the US national parks: If you have plans to visit all 63 national parks, like we do, it doesn’t take long to realize that these national parks protect a wonderfully wide variety of landscapes.įrom the rocky coastline of Acadia to the desert landscapes of Saguaro to the glacier-covered mountains of Kenai Fjords to the wetlands of the Everglades, the United States is filled with many natural treasures.

In summary, a “national park” is generally a large area of land that contains a wide variety of resources and/or historical or cultural sites, and that land is protected from activities that would alter the landscape. There are several national park and national preserve combinations, such as Denali National Park & Preserve and Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.Ī national monument is typically smaller than a national park and a national preserve and only protects one specific resource. Hunting, fishing, and mining are permitted, just as long as these do not affect the resource that the national preserve protects. A national preserve typically protects specific resources but there are fewer restrictions on how the land can be used. In most national parks, practices that alter the landscape, such as mining, drilling, and hunting are not allowed.Ī national preserve is very similar to a national park. In a national park, the land and its resources are protected and there are many restrictions on how that land can be used. To be a national park, the unit contains a wide variety of resources and is generally an area of natural and/or cultural importance. There is a phrase “leave it better than you found it,” which is also part of a worldwide movement to “Leave No Trace.” There are seven principles of Leave No Trace, which includes properly disposing of waste, don’t litter, be considerate of other hikers, do not feed wildlife, plan ahead, stay on the trail, and minimize campfire impacts.

These areas are also places where people can go to learn more about the natural world, explore the wilderness and unique landscapes, and get in touch with nature.Īs visitors to the national parks, we have a role to play. Since 1872, 62 more national parks have been established in the United States, not to mention the hundreds of national parks that have been created around the globe.Īround the world, millions of acres of land have been set aside, to preserve landscapes, animal habitats, and historical treasures. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, which created the world’s first national park. It all started with steaming, bubbling landscape, where geysers erupt on a regular basis, bison and elk roam the grasslands, and colorful hot springs brighten up the landscape.

State list check off