There are currently 63 US national parks spread across 30 different states, and they’re all run by the National Park Service. We’ve visited most of the popular parks, and many of the lesser known parks too. The common theme? They’re all amazing.
We’re hikers and photographers, so naturally America’s national parks are right in our wheelhouse. Our favorites to date include the likes of Acadia, Arches, Grand Teton, Mt Rainier, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Zion. It’s worth noting that US state parks can be equally as impressive, so we highly recommend you take a look at our guides.
We’ve written a lot of blog posts about a lot of US national parks, so we hope you find what you’re looking for. Don’t forget to check out our digital guidebooks to see if we’ve got one ready for your next park.
Bucket List
Top 20 US National Parks
Roundup of our 20 favorite US national parks. These are the parks you should have on your bucket list!
Parks By Name
Acadia
American Samoa
Arches
Badlands
Big Bend
Biscayne
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Bryce Canyon
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Carlsbad Caverns
Channel Islands
Congaree
Crater Lake
Cuyahoga Valley
Death Valley
Denali
Dry Tortugas
Everglades
Gates of the Arctic
Gateway Arch
Glacier
Glacier Bay
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Basin
Great Sand Dunes
Great Smoky Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
Haleakala
Hawai’i Volcanoes
Hot Springs
Indiana Dunes
Isle Royale
Joshua Tree
Katmai
Kenai Fjords
Kings Canyon
Kobuk Valley
Lake Clark
Lassen Volcanic
Mammoth Cave
Mesa Verde
Mount Rainer
New River Gorge
North Cascades
Olympic
Petrified Forest
Pinnacles
Redwood
Rocky Mountain
Saguaro
Sequoia
Shenandoah
Theodore Roosevelt
Virgin Islands
Voyageurs
White Sands
Wind Cave
Wrangell – St. Elias
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Zion
Monuments and Memorials
- Devils Tower National Monument – The oldest national monument in the US situated between South Dakota’s Black Hills and Yellowstone National Park.
- Montezuma Castle National Monument – This monument offers some of the most well-preserved cliff dwellings found in the American Southwest.
- Statue of Liberty National Monument – The Statue of Liberty is one of the most iconic things you can do during a visit to New York City.
- Tuzigoot National Monument – A fascinating ancient multi-room pueblo in Arizona’s Verde Valley.
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial – Found nestled with South Dakota’s Black Hills, this memorial depicts George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Resources
- US Road Trips – The best way to visit multiple national parks in one trip is to plan a road trip. Visit our road trips page to see the best routes in America.
- America the Beautiful Pass – For just $80 each year, this pass will give you free entry to all US national parks, national monuments and historical sites.
- Travel eBooks – We’ve created lots of helpful travel guidebooks for popular national parks. Our guidebooks are filled with personal experiences, insider tips and recommendations for your trip.
- National Parks Passport – The best way to document your next national park adventure!
- National Park Quotes – Collection of quotes about America’s national parks to inspire your next trip.
Interested in Alcatraz? Don’t miss our popular walkthrough of the Alcatraz day and night tours.
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