US National Parks to Explore

Behold this nation’s vast, beautiful, preserved park system, yours to explore! America has designated 63 national parks, from Alaska (home to 6 of the top 7 largest parks, and 8 total) to the Florida Keys and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 30 states plus 2 US territories. In total, there are 423 national park “sites” which also include monuments, seashores, preserves and historic landmarks.

The U.S. National Park Service was “founded in 1916”, but was actually first established by Congress in 1872 with the creation of Yellowstone National Park once President Ulysses S. Grant signed it into law. Then came Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890, and so on.

U.S. National Parks are open to the public, for a small fee. Parks are funded by three sources: 1st – the US Government which budgets billions annually (and occasionally cuts billions during recessionary times), 2nd – park entrance fees (your fee or membership) and 3rd – by private donations – often tax deductible (just like its infancy with Rockefeller money).

A Senior Lifetime Park Pass is $80, plus $10 in admin, so $90 once you are 62 and you’re free to roam about the most magnificent land masses in the U.S.! For everyone else, the National Park Pass is $85 for one year. Military, volunteers awarded more than 250 hours, and US 4th graders, receive a free park pass for a year.

The busiest parks, Glacier National Park and Yosemite National Park, bring in millions of visitors each year, Acadia in Maine and the Grand Canyon see plenty of people annually too.

This Bucket List of National Parks may reveal some Park names and places you’ve never heard of …but are well worth the visit! Alphabetical order …start checking them off travel friends!

Acadia National Park on Mt Desert Island Maine

American Samoa National Park in the U.S. territory covering 7 South Pacific islands

Arches National Park in Utah

Badlands National Park in South Dakota

Big Bend National Park in south west Texas near Mexico – The Rio Grande

Biscayne National Park in Florida’s Keys – islands and coral reefs

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in western Colorado

Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah

Canyonlands National Park in south eastern Utah

Capitol Reef National Park in Utah

Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico

Channel Islands National Park in the Pacific of California

Congaree National Park in South Carolina

Crater Lake National Park in Oregon

Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio

Death Valley National Park in both California and Nevada

Denali National Park in Alaska

Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida – seven islands 68 miles west of Key West

Everglades National Park in Florida

Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska

Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri

Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska

Glacier National Park near Whitefish in Montana bordering Canada

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming near Jackson Hole

Great Basin National Park in Nevada

Great Sand Dunes National Park of Colorado

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina

Guadalupe Mountains National Park of Texas

Haleakalā National Park on Maui, Hawaii

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the Island of Hawai’i – home to the world’s most active volcanoes – Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas

Indiana Dunes National Park in Indiana

Isle Royale National Park in Michigan

Joshua Tree National Park in California near Palm Springs

Katmai National Park in Alaska

Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska

Kings Canyon National Park in California

Kobuk Valley National Park Alaska

Lake Clark National Park of Alaska

Lassen Volcanic National Park California

Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado near Purgatory at Durango

Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, near Crystal Mountain

New River Gorge National Park of West Virginia

North Cascades National Park of Washington

Olympic National Park of Washington

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona

Pinnacles National Park in California

Redwood National Park in California

Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado

Saguaro National Park in Arizona

Sequoia National Park in California

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota

Virgin Islands National Park which preserves about 60% of the land of St John, USVI

Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota

White Sands National Park in New Mexico

Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota

Wrangell—St. Elias National Park in Alaska

Yellowstone National Park in 3 states – Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

Yosemite National Park of California near Mammoth Mountain and Lake Tahoe

Zion National Park in Utah

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