National Park System of the United States
| Name, location, and year authorized | Acreage | Outstanding characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Acadia (Maine), 1919 | 46,998.43 | Rugged seashore on Mt. Desert Island and adjacent mainland |
| Arches (Utah), 1971 | 73,378.98 | Unusual stone arches, windows, pedestals caused by erosion |
| Badlands (S.D.), 1978 | 242,755.94 | Arid land of fossils, prairie, bison, deer, bighorn, antelope |
| Big Bend (Tex.), 1935 | 801,163.21 | Mountains and desert bordering the Rio Grande |
| Biscayne (Fla.), 1980 | 172,924.07 | Aquatic and coral reef park south of Miami; was a national monument, 1968–1980 |
| Bryce Canyon (Utah), 1924 | 35,835.08 | Area of grotesque, brilliantly colored eroded rocks |
| Canyonlands (Utah), 1964 | 337,570.43 | Colorful wilderness with impressive red-rock canyons, spires, arches |
| Capitol Reef (Utah), 1971 | 241,904.26 | Highly colored sedimentary rock formations in high, narrow gorges |
| Carlsbad Caverns (N.M.), 1930 | 46,766.45 | The world's largest known caves |
| Channel Islands (Calif.), 1980 | 249,353.77 | Area is rich in marine mammals, sea birds, endangered species, and archeology |
| Crater Lake (Ore.), 1902 | 183,224.05 | Deep blue lake in heart of inactive volcano |
| Death Valley (Calif.-Nev.), 1994 | 3,367,627.68 | Largest desert, surrounded by high mountains, containing the lowest point in the Western hemisphere |
| Denali (Alaska), 1917 | 4,741,800.00 | Mt. McKinley National Park was renamed and enlarged by Act of Dec. 2, 1980. Contains Mt. McKinley, N. America's highest mountain (20,320 ft.) |
| Dry Tortugas (Fla.), 1992 | 64,700.00 | Formerly Ft. Jefferson National Monument. Located 70 miles off Key West. Features an underwater nature trail |
| Everglades (Fla.), 1934 | 1,507,850.00 | Subtropical area with abundant bird and animal life |
| Gates of the Arctic (Alaska), 1980 | 7,523,898.00 | Diverse north central wilderness contains part of Brooks Range |
| Glacier (Mont.), 1910 | 1,013,572.42 | Rocky Mountain scenery with many glaciers and lakes |
| Glacier Bay (Alaska), 1980 | 3,224,794.00 | Park was a national monument 1925–1980; popular for wildlife, whale-watching, glacier-calving, and scenery |
| Grand Canyon (Ariz.), 1919 | 1,217,158.32 | Mile-deep gorge, 4 to 18 miles wide, 217 miles long |
| Grand Teton (Wyo.), 1929 | 309,994.72 | Picturesque range of high mountain peaks |
| Great Basin (Nev.), 1986 | 77,180.00 | Exceptional scenic, biologic, and geologic attractions |
| Great Smoky Mts. (N.C.-Tenn), 1926 | 521,621.00 | Highest mountain range east of Black Hills; luxuriant plant life |
| Guadalupe Mountains (Tex.), 1966 | 86,415.97 | Contains highest point in Texas: Guadalupe Peak (8,751 ft.) |
| Haleakala (Hawaii), 1960 | 28,091.14 | World-famous 10,023-ft. Haleakala volcano (dormant) |
| Hawaii Volcanoes (Hawaii), 1916 | 209,695.38 | Spectacular volcanic area; luxuriant vegetation at lower levels |
| Hot Springs (Ark.), 1921 | 5,549.46 | 47 mineral hot springs said to have therapeutic value |
| Isle Royale (Mich.), 1931 | 571,790.11 | Largest wilderness island in Lake Superior; moose, wolves, lakes |
| Joshua Tree (Calif.), 1936 | 792,749.87 | Desert region featuring Joshua trees and a great variety of plants and animals. |
| Katmai (Alaska), 1980 | 3,674,540.87 | Expansion may assist in brown bear's preservation. Park was national monument 1918–1980; is known for fishing, 1912 volcano eruption, bears |
| Kenai Fjords (Alaska), 1980 | 670,642.79 | Mountain goats, marine mammals, birdlife are features at this seacoast park near Seward |
| Kings Canyon (Calif.), 1940 | 461,901.20 | Huge canyons; high mountains; giant sequoias |
| Kobuk Valley (Alaska), 1980 | 1,750,736.86 | Native culture and anthropology center around the broad Kobuk River in northwest Alaska |
| Lake Clark (Alaska), 1980 | 2,636,839.00 | Park provides scenic and wilderness recreation across Cook Inlet from Anchorage |
| Lassen Volcanic (Calif.), 1916 | 106,372.36 | Exhibits of impressive volcanic phenomena |
| Mammoth Cave (Ky.), 1926 | 52,830.19 | Vast limestone labyrinth with underground river |
| Mesa Verde (Colo.), 1906 | 52,121.93 | Best-preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings in United States |
| Mount Rainier (Wash.), 1899 | 235,612.50 | Single-peak glacial system; dense forests, flowered meadows |
| National Park of American Samoa, (American Samoa) 1988 | 9,000.00 | Two rain forest preserves and a coral reef on the island of Ofu are home to unique tropical animals. The park also includes several thousand acres on the islands of Tutuila and Ta'u |
| North Cascades (Wash.), 1968 | 504,780.94 | Roadless Alpine landscape; jagged peaks; mountain lakes; glaciers |
| Olympic (Wash.), 1938 | 922,651.01 | Finest Pacific Northwest temperate rain forest; scenic mountain park |
| Petrified Forest (Ariz.), 1962 | 93,532.57 | Extensive natural exhibit of petrified wood |
| Redwood (Calif.), 1968 | 110,232.40 | Coastal redwood forests; contains world's tallest known tree (369.2 ft.) |
| Rocky Mountain (Colo.), 1915 | 265,727.15 | Section of the Rocky Mountains; 107 named peaks over 10,000 ft. |
| Saguaro (Ariz.), 1994 | 91,452.95 | Giant saguaro cacti, unique to the Sonoran Desert, sometimes reach a height of 50 ft. in this cactus forest |
| Sequoia (Calif.), 1890 | 402,482.38 | Giant sequoias; magnificent High Sierra scenery, including Mt. Whitney |
| Shenandoah (Va.), 1926 | 197,388.98 | Tree-covered mountains; scenic Skyline Drive |
| Theodore Roosevelt (N.D.), 1978 | 70,446.89 | Scenic valley of Little Missouri River; T.R. Ranch; wildlife |
| Virgin Islands (U.S. V.I.), 1956 | 14,688.87 | Beaches; lush hills; prehistoric Carib Indian relics |
| Voyageurs (Minn.), 1971 | 218,035.33 | Wildlife, canoeing, fishing, and hiking |
| Wind Cave (S.D.), 1903 | 28,295.03 | Limestone caverns in Black Hills; buffalo herd |
| Wrangell-St. Elias (Alaska), 1980 | 8,323,617.68 | Largest Park System area has abundant wildlife, second highest peak in U.S. (Mt. St. Elias); adjoins Canadian park |
| Yellowstone (Wyo.-Mont.-Idaho), 1872 | 2,219,790.71 | World's greatest geyser area; abundant falls, wildlife, and canyons |
| Yosemite (Calif.), 1890 | 761,236.20 | Mountains; inspiring gorges and waterfalls; giant sequoias |
| Zion (Utah), 1919 | 146,597.61 | Multicolored gorge in heart of southern Utah desert |
Provided by Infoplease — an authoritative, comprehensive reference website that offers an encyclopedia, a dictionary, an atlas, and several almanacs. Visit Infoplease.com to find more resources endorsed by teachers and librarians.
