While planning a trip to some of the beautiful natural areas of the United States, you've probably wondered which us state has the most national parks and what the best way is to go about it. With national parks in the US spread across deserts, mountains, coastlines, and even tropical islands, the answer says a lot about how varied the country really is. Here's a closer look.
National Parks Across the USA: More Than Just a Number
Before picking a favorite, it helps to see the full picture of national parks USA has to offer — from Arctic tundra to subtropical wetlands, spread across 30 states and two US territories.
How Many National Parks Are There in the United States?
How many national parks are there in the United States? As of now, there are exactly 63, the first being Yellowstone, established in 1872, and the newest being New River Gorge in West Virginia, designated in 2020. The national parks in the US recorded over 325 million recreation visits in a single recent year, a reminder of just how central these places are to how people travel. If you're wondering how many national parks are there outside the contiguous states, the count includes parks in Hawaii, Alaska, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands.
Why Some States Have More National Parks Than Others
Geography explains most of the gap. States with dramatic elevation changes, coastlines, deserts, or volcanic activity tend to have more land worth protecting—which is why a handful of states account for a disproportionate share of all national parks in the system.
California: The State With the Most National Parks
If you ask which state has the most national parks, the answer is California, with nine, more than any other state in the country.
From Giant Sequoias to Desert Landscapes
Sequoia and Kings Canyon protect some of the world's largest trees, including the General Sherman Tree, while Death Valley sits at the other end, as the hottest and driest national park in the system.
Coastlines, Volcanoes, Forests, and Islands
Redwood National Park protects some of the tallest trees in the world, Lassen Volcanic showcases some of the country's most active geothermal areas, and the Channel Islands preserve a marine habitat known as the "Galápagos of North America.
Joshua Tree: Where Two Deserts Meet
Joshua Tree lies at the meeting point of the Mojave and Colorado deserts, giving it two desert habitats within the same park which is one of the reasons why it’s among California's most photographed parks.
How Other States Compare in National Park Diversity
California may lead, but several other states offer enough variety to fill an entire vacation. Here's how the top states stack up by number of national parks:
- California — 9
- Alaska — 8
- Utah — 5
- Colorado — 4
- Arizona, Florida, Washington—3 each
Alaska: Vast Landscapes and America's Largest National Park
Right behind the top spot is Alaska, with eight national parks — including Wrangell-St. Elias, the largest national park in the US. Together with its adjoining preserve, it covers more than 13 million acres, about six times the size of Yellowstone National Park.
Utah: A Road Trip Through the Mighty Five
Utah's five parks, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands, are close enough together to visit in a single road trip, each with a completely different red-rock landscape.
Arizona and Other States Worth Adding to Your List
Arizona has three, anchored by the Grand Canyon, while Colorado, Florida, and Washington each have their own smaller clusters worth adding to any serious list of national parks to visit.
Beyond the Most Famous National Parks
Once you've covered the states with the biggest numbers, it's worth looking past the obvious names.
Famous National Parks Travelers Put on Their Lists
Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Great Smoky Mountains dominate most rankings of famous national parks, and Great Smoky Mountains alone draws over 12 million visitors a year, making it consistently one of the most popular national parks in the country.
National Parks Beyond the Mainland
The system also includes the National Park of American Samoa in the South Pacific and Virgin Islands National Park in the Caribbean, proof that national parks in the US extend far past the lower 48.
How to Build Your Own National Park Bucket List
A simple map of US national parks is the easiest way to plan a realistic route, whether the goal is to check off every park in one state or slowly work through all national parks over a lifetime.
Tracking Your National Park Adventures at Home
Planning trips is one thing, keeping a record of them is another, and that's where a physical US National Parks map comes in.
Marking Visited Parks on a USA National Parks Push Pin Map
A wooden and cork push pin map with all 63 national parks marked turns trip planning into something you can see on your wall. It includes 150 pins for general use, plus a dedicated wooden tree-shaped pin for each park, so every visit gets its own permanent mark instead of blending into a generic map of US national parks. Over time, it becomes less of a National Parks in the US reference and more of a personal travel record — one pin, and one park, at a time.