From hiking and camping to leaf-peeping and star-gazing, national parks provide recreation, entertainment, and family-friendly fun.
National parks offer recreation, sightseeing, and stunning landscapes. We can thank Ulysses S. Grant for the creation of the first national park, Yellowstone, in 1872. Next, give kudos to Woodrow Wilson for signing through the National Park Service Organic Act in 1916, which created the National Park Service (NPS).
In addition to the 61 official national parks, there are hundreds of national historic sites, monuments, trails, reserves, and recreation areas that fall under the status of protected areas. For the purposes of this post, I’m sticking to the sites with the formally designated title of "national park." So, no offense, Harper’s Ferry, Jamestown, and Cumberland Gap. We’ll get to you next time.
I’ve also included the U.S. Virgin Islands, because I like islands, and they are a part of the United States. Now that we’ve had our history and geography lesson for the day, let’s get on with the best national park in each state.
Alaska
Denali National Park was originally known as Mount McKinley National Park when it was founded in 1917. It's a good place to see bears, whether you're trying to or not. Alaska has the four largest national parks in the U.S., the largest of which is Wrangell-St. Elias at 13.2 million acres. Wrangell-St. Elias is also one of the top 10 least-visited national parks due to the remote location.
Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park is 18 miles at the widest point. It's the second most-visited national park in the U.S. Keep reading to find out the first most visited.
Arkansas
Hot Springs National Park is 5,550 acres and has 43 thermal springs. There's a section of the park that runs through downtown Hot Springs and "Bathhouse Row." This area features bathhouses in Gilded Age architecture and is considered a National Historic Landmark District.
California
Yosemite National Park has the tallest waterfall in the United States—Yosemite Falls. El Capitan and Half Dome are popular, and challenging, for hikers and climbers.
Colorado
Established in 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park covers 415 square miles and offers 355 miles of hiking trails and 260 miles of horseback riding trails. There are 156 lakes and 476 miles of creeks and streams. There are also 600 buildings within the park.
Florida
The gorgeous Dry Tortugas National Park is one of the top 10 least-visited parks. This is due to its remote location. It's located on 64,700 acres in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, about 70 miles west of Key West. It takes about two hours and 15 minutes by high-speed ferry from Key West to get there, or you could also take a seaplane. The park consists of Fort Jefferson, which was used as a military prison during the Civil War. There's a "moat," around the fort and you can snorkel and swim in crystal clear water.
Hawaii
Located on the island of Maui, Haleakala National Park can be visited via the famous Hana Highway. It became a national park in 1960. The dormant Haleakala Volcano, waterfalls, lava flows, and bamboo forests can be found there.
Indiana
At 15,000 acres, Indiana Dunes National Park is the newest national park to join the NPS (February 2019). It's located along Lake Michigan and features landscapes of dunes, bogs, swamps, rivers, and forests.
Kentucky
Mammoth Cave National Park has the world's longest cave system. It's believed to have started forming at least 10 million years ago. More than 400 miles of it have been explored, and hundreds more are believed to exist.
Maine
Acadia National Park encompasses 47,000 acres of rocky beaches, glacier-like peaks, and wooded forests. It's famous for the Bar Harbor area and Cadillac Mountain, which is the East Coast's highest point.
Michigan
Isle Royale National Park is made up of Isle Royale and hundreds of islands along Lake Superior. There's 209 miles of land and 685 miles of water. It's accessible by ferry, seaplane, and passenger ships and is the only U.S. national park to completely close during the winter.
Minnesota
Located in northern Minnesota, near the Canadian border, Voyageurs National Park features four large lakes and 26 smaller lakes, which makes it very popular for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. It became a national park in 1975.
Montana
Glacier National Park lies in the Rocky Mountains and encompasses 1,583 miles. Going-to-the-Sun Road, mountain goats, glaciers, and historic chalets are popular points of interest.
Nevada
Great Basin National Park features bighorn sheep, limestone caverns, mountain lakes, and the marble Lehman Caves. Lexington Arch is one of the largest limestone arches in the west.
New Mexico
Carlsbad Caverns National Park has more than 100 caves and is a great spot to see stalactites, stalagmites, and other rock formations, as well as bats, birds, and other wildlife. The deepest limestone cave in the U.S. can be found here. It became a World Heritage Site in 1995.
North Carolina
Remember when we said to keep reading to find out the most visited national park? Well, here it is. Wildflowers, waterfalls, and black bears can be found as well as hiking paths, horseback riding trails, and historic buildings. Part of the Appalachian Mountain Range, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park actually encompasses two states. Yep, you guessed it. Keep reading to find out the other one.
North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park sits among the Great Plains and the Badlands. It's known for the Painted Canyon, Roosevelt's home at Maltese Cross Ranch Cabin, the Scenic Loop Drive, and prairie dogs, among many other plains animals.
Ohio
The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad runs through Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There are waterfalls, hiking trails, and a restored section of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail.
Oregon
Located in the Cascade Mountains, the lake at Crater Lake National Park was formed by the collapsed volcano Mount Mazama. The lake is 1,949 feet deep, which makes it the deepest in the U.S. Rim Drive offers a scenic viewpoint of the stunning lake. The park was established in 1902 and is the fifth oldest national park in the U.S.
South Carolina
Congaree National Park gets its name from the Congaree River that flows through it. The park features 500-year-old cypress trees, 159-foot loblolly pines, and a 135-foot American elm. There's an elevated Boardwalk Loop walkway that takes visitors around the park.
South Dakota
Badlands National Park is well-known for its rock formations, bison, bighorn sheep, canyons, and grassland habitats. The highest point in the park is at Red Shirt Table, which soars to 3,340 feet.
Tennessee
Congrats! You made it. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also in Tennessee (and probably more known for being in that state than NC). It gets its name from the smoky blue hue seen around the mountain tops and valleys.
Texas
Big Bend National Park has more than 450 species of birds, more than any other U.S. national park. It's popular for star-gazing because of the wide open space.
Utah
Arches National Park has the most amount of natural sandstone arches in the world (more than 2,000). The biggest arch has a span of 306 feet.
Virginia
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah National Park can be seen via overlooks along Skyline Drive, as well as by hiking the many trails. Skyline Drive runs from Front Royal south to Waynesboro (about 105 miles). At this point, it becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway and runs to Cherokee, NC (about 469 miles). This path connects up with Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Washington
Mount Rainier National Park is an impressive 14,410 feet above sea level. It's an active volcano and has 42 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wyoming
Yellowstone National Park is mainly in Wyoming, but spreads out into Montana and Idaho. It's popular for geysers, hot springs, rivers, and canyons, as well as wildlife such as bison, bears, wolves, and elk.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands National Park is found on the island of St. John. Coral reefs, white sand beaches, sea turtles, and 18th-century sugar plantations are prevalent. Two-thirds of the island is made up of the park, so it's not hard to find.
Did your favorite national park make the list? Let us know in the comments.