Which state has the most national parks? Get to know the 63 national parks in the US
More than 325 million people visited a national park last year, a steady increase since visitors dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park by far, drawing three times as many visitors as the Grand Canyon, according to National Park Service data.
National parks are an American legacy of their own. In 1916, the National Parks Service was founded to protect and maintain the national parks and monuments in the U.S. From Zion to Yosemite, each park has a rich, unique history.
But how many national parks are there and which state has the most? Here is what you need to know.
How many national parks are there?
There are 63 national parks in the U.S., according to the National Park Service.
Which state has the most national parks?
California has the most national parks with nine total in the state. The next state with the most parks is Alaska, which has eight national parks.
Utah comes in third place with a total of five national parks, while Colorado is in fourth with four national parks.
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What was the first national park?
Yellowstone National Park is the world's first national park, according to the National Park Service.
"The Yellowstone National Park Protection Act" was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. The act protected the land from private development and declared it "a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people."
On Aug. 25, 1916, the National Parks Service was founded after "The National Park Service Organic Act" was passed by Congress and approved by President Woodrow Wilson.
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National parks by state
Here are the national parks by state and U.S. territory:
Alaska
Denali National Park
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Glacier Bay National Park
Katmai National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park
Lake Clark National Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
American Samoa
National Park of American Samoa
Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park
Petrified Forest National Park
Saguaro National Park
Arkansas
Hot Springs National Park
California
Channel Islands National Park
Death Valley National Park (California and Nevada)
Joshua Tree National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Pinnacles National Park
Redwood National Park
Sequoia National Park
Yosemite National Park
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Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Florida
Biscayne National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Hawaii
Haleakala National Park
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Idaho
Yellowstone National Park (Idaho, Montana and Wyoming)
Kentucky
Mammoth Cave National Park
Indiana
Indiana Dunes National Park
Maine
Acadia National Park
Michigan
Isle Royale National Park
Minnesota
Voyageurs National Park
Missouri
Gateway Arch National Park
Montana
Glacier National Park
Yellowstone National Park (Idaho, Montana and Wyoming)
Nevada
Death Valley National Park (California and Nevada)
Great Basin National Park
New Mexico
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
White Sands National Park
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North Carolina
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina and Tennessee)
North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Ohio
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Oregon
Crater Lake National Park
South Carolina
Congaree National Park
South Dakota
Badlands National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina and Tennessee)
Texas
Big Bend National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Utah
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Zion National Park
Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands National Park
Virginia
Shenandoah National Park
Washington
Mount Rainier National Park
North Cascades National Park
Olympic National Park
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West Virginia
New River Gorge National Park
Wyoming
Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National parks: Which US state has the most and how many are there?
