List of areas in the United States National Park System
The National Park System of the United States is the collection of physical properties owned or administered by the National Park Service. This includes all areas designated national parks and most national monuments, as well as several other types of protected areas of the United States.
As of 2016, there are 411 units of the National Park System. However, this number is somewhat misleading. For example, Denali National Park and Preserve is counted as two units, since the same name applies to a national park and an adjacent national preserve. Yet Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is counted as one unit, despite its double designation. Counting methodology is rooted in the language of a park's enabling legislation. Elsewhere, Fort Moultrie is not counted as a unit because it is considered a feature of Fort Sumter National Monument.
In addition to areas of the National Park System, the National Park Service also provides technical and financial assistance to several affiliated areas authorized by Congress. Affiliated areas are marked on the lists below.
The National Register of Historic Places is administered by the Park Service (with nearly 79,000 entries) and automatically includes all National Park System areas designated due to their historic significance. This includes all National Historical Parks/Historic Sites, National Battlefields/Military Parks, National Memorials, and some National Monuments.
Units are found in all 50 states, in Washington, D.C., and in the U.S. territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Nearly all units managed by the National Park Service participate in the National Park Passport Stamps program.
National parks
Existing national parks
There are 59 officially-designated national parks in the United States and its dependent areas.
Name | Location | Year established | Area [1] |
---|---|---|---|
Acadia National Park | Maine | 1919 | 48,876.58 acres (197.7965 km2) |
National Park of American Samoa | American Samoa | 1988 | 8,256.67 acres (33.4136 km2) |
Arches National Park | Utah | 1971 | 76,678.98 acres (310.3088 km2) |
Badlands National Park | South Dakota | 1978 | 242,755.94 acres (982.3984 km2) |
Big Bend National Park | Texas | 1944 | 801,163.21 acres (3,242.1925 km2) |
Biscayne National Park | Florida | 1980 | 172,971.11 acres (699.9892 km2) |
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park | Colorado | 1999 | 30,750.03 acres (124.4410 km2) |
Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah | 1928 | 35,835.08 acres (145.0194 km2) |
Canyonlands National Park | Utah | 1964 | 337,597.83 acres (1,366.2099 km2) |
Capitol Reef National Park | Utah | 1971 | 241,904.26 acres (978.9518 km2) |
Carlsbad Caverns National Park | New Mexico | 1930 | 46,766.45 acres (189.2571 km2) |
Channel Islands National Park | California | 1980 | 249,561 acres (1,009.94 km2) |
Congaree National Park | South Carolina | 2003 | 26,275.82 acres (106.3345 km2) |
Crater Lake National Park | Oregon | 1902 | 183,224.05 acres (741.4814 km2) |
Cuyahoga Valley National Park | Ohio | 2000 | 32,831.18 acres (132.8631 km2) |
Death Valley National Park | California, Nevada | 1994 | 3,373,062.74 acres (13,650.3006 km2) |
Denali National Park and Preserve | Alaska | 1917 | 4,740,911.16 acres (19,185.7868 km2) |
Dry Tortugas National Park | Florida | 1992 | 64,701.22 acres (261.8365 km2) |
Everglades National Park | Florida | 1947 | 1,400,539.3 acres (5,667.781 km2) |
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve | Alaska | 1980 | 7,523,897.45 acres (30,448.1327 km2) |
Glacier National Park (part of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park) | Montana | 1910 | 1,013,322.17 acres (4,100.7693 km2) |
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve | Alaska | 1980 | 3,223,383.43 acres (13,044.5699 km2) |
Grand Canyon National Park | Arizona | 1919 | 1,217,191.35 acres (4,925.7986 km2) |
Grand Teton National Park | Wyoming | 1929 | 310,044.22 acres (1,254.7044 km2) |
Great Basin National Park | Nevada | 1986 | 77,180 acres (312.3 km2) |
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve | Colorado | 2004 | 94,687.84 acres (383.1881 km2) |
Great Smoky Mountains National Park | North Carolina, Tennessee | 1934 | 522,426.88 acres (2,114.1866 km2) |
Guadalupe Mountains National Park | Texas | 1966 | 86,367.1 acres (349.515 km2) |
Haleakala National Park | Hawaii | 1916 | 33,264.62 acres (134.6171 km2) |
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park | Hawaii | 1916 | 323,431.38 acres (1,308.8804 km2) |
Hot Springs National Park | Arkansas | 1921 | 5,549.26 acres (22.4571 km2) |
Isle Royale National Park | Michigan | 1940 | 571,790.11 acres (2,313.9525 km2) |
Joshua Tree National Park | California | 1994 | 790,635.74 acres (3,199.5893 km2) |
Katmai National Park and Preserve | Alaska | 1980 | 3,674,368.02 acres (14,869.6398 km2) |
Kenai Fjords National Park | Alaska | 1980 | 669,983.65 acres (2,711.3276 km2) |
Kings Canyon National Park | California | 1940 | 461,901.2 acres (1,869.248 km2) |
Kobuk Valley National Park | Alaska | 1980 | 1,750,716.16 acres (7,084.8969 km2) |
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve | Alaska | 1980 | 2,619,712.56 acres (10,601.6006 km2) |
Lassen Volcanic National Park | California | 1916 | 106,452.33 acres (430.7973 km2) |
Mammoth Cave National Park | Kentucky | 1941 | 52,830.19 acres (213.7962 km2) |
Mesa Verde National Park | Colorado | 1906 | 52,485.17 acres (212.3999 km2) |
Mount Rainier National Park | Washington | 1899 | 236,381.49 acres (956.6020 km2) |
North Cascades National Park | Washington | 1968 | 504,780.94 acres (2,042.7760 km2) |
Olympic National Park | Washington | 1938 | 922,650.1 acres (3,733.832 km2) |
Petrified Forest National Park | Arizona | 1962 | 221,414.59 acres (896.0331 km2) |
Pinnacles National Park | California | 2013 | 26,605.73 acres (107.6696 km2) |
Redwood National and State Parks | California | 1968 | 138,885.46 acres (562.0495 km2) |
Rocky Mountain National Park | Colorado | 1915 | 265,795.2 acres (1,075.635 km2) |
Saguaro National Park | Arizona | 1994 | 91,442.42 acres (370.0543 km2) |
Sequoia National Park | California | 1890 | 404,062.63 acres (1,635.1834 km2) |
Shenandoah National Park | Virginia | 1935 | 199,116.92 acres (805.7976 km2) |
Theodore Roosevelt National Park | North Dakota | 1978 | 70,446.89 acres (285.0884 km2) |
Virgin Islands National Park | U.S. Virgin Islands | 1956 | 14,944.84 acres (60.4796 km2) |
Voyageurs National Park | Minnesota | 1975 | 218,200.15 acres (883.0247 km2) |
Wind Cave National Park | South Dakota | 1903 | 33,847.08 acres (136.9743 km2) |
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve | Alaska | 1980 | 8,323,146.5 acres (33,682.579 km2) |
Yellowstone National Park | Idaho, Montana, Wyoming | 1872 | 2,219,790.71 acres (8,983.1743 km2) |
Yosemite National Park | California | 1890 | 761,267.5 acres (3,080.740 km2) |
Zion National Park | Utah | 1919 | 147,237.02 acres (595.8471 km2) |
Disbanded national parks
Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Abraham Lincoln National Park | July 17, 1916 | August 11, 1939 | Redesignated as Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park |
Fort McHenry National Park | March 3, 1925 | August 11, 1939 | Redesignated under the unique designation of Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine |
General Grant National Park | October 1, 1890 | March 4, 1940 | Incorporated into Kings Canyon National Park |
Hawaii National Park | August 1, 1916 | September 13, 1960 | Divided into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park |
Mackinac National Park | April 15, 1875 | March 2, 1895 | Transferred to Michigan; now operated as Mackinac Island State Park |
Platt National Park | June 29, 1906 | March 17, 1976 | Redesignated as Chickasaw National Recreation Area |
Sullys Hill National Park | April 27, 1904 | March 3, 1931 | Transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; now operated as Sullys Hill National Game Preserve |
National monuments
As of 2016, there are 120 U.S. national monuments, 82 of which are administered by the NPS and are listed below. The remaining 38 monuments are administered by five other federal agencies. Two, Grand Canyon-Parashant and Craters of the Moon National Monuments, are jointly administered by the NPS and the BLM, and World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument is joint with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Decommissioned national monuments
Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Papago Saguaro National Monument | January 31, 1914 | April 7, 1930 | Transferred to Arizona; now jointly operated by the cities of Phoenix and Tempe |
Lewis and Clark Cavern National Monument | May 11, 1908 | August 24, 1937 | Transferred to Montana; now operated as a state park |
Father Millet Cross National Monument | August 10, 1933 | September 7, 1949 | Transferred to New York upon the closing of the adjacent military base; now operated part of Fort Niagara State Park |
First State National Monument | March 25, 2013 | December 19, 2014 | Incorporated into First State National Historical Park |
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument | March 25, 2013 | December 19, 2014 | Incorporated into Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park |
Wheeler National Monument | December 7, 1908 | August 3, 1950 | Returned to United States Forest Service |
Holy Cross National Monument | May 11, 1929 | August 3, 1950 | Returned to United States Forest Service |
Jackson Hole National Monument | 1943 | September 14, 1950 | Merged into Grand Teton National Park |
Shoshone Cavern National Monument | September 21, 1909 | May 17, 1954 | Transferred to Cody, Wyoming as a municipal attraction, and later returned to the Bureau of Land Management |
Old Kasaan National Monument | October 25, 1916 | July 26, 1955 | Transferred to United States Forest Service |
Castle Pinckney National Monument | August 10, 1933 | March 29, 1956 | Transferred to South Carolina, and later sold to the Sons of Confederate Veterans; site currently inaccessible and unmaintained |
Verendrye National Monument | June 29, 1917 | July 30, 1956 | Transferred to North Dakota after the construction of the Garrison Dam; site currently flooded by the reservoir Lake Sakakawea |
Fossil Cycad National Monument | October 21, 1922 | August 1, 1956 | Transferred to Bureau of Land Management because of severe vandalism to the site |
Ackia Battlefield National Monument | August 27, 1935 | August 10, 1961 | Incorporated into Natchez Trace Parkway |
Meriwether Lewis National Monument | February 6, 1925 | August 10, 1961 | Incorporated into Natchez Trace Parkway |
Petrified Forest National Monument | December 8, 1906 | December 9, 1962 | Incorporated into Petrified Forest National Park |
Lehman Caves National Monument | June 10, 1933 | October 27, 1986 | Incorporated into Great Basin National Park[3] |
Mound City Group National Monument | January 1, 1918 | January 2, 1992 | Incorporated into Hopewell Culture National Historical Park |
Minidoka Internment National Monument | January 17, 2001 | May 8, 2008 | Incorporated into Minidoka National Historic Site |
Pinnacles National Monument | January 16, 1908 | January 10, 2013 | Incorporated into Pinnacles National Park[4] |
National preserves
There are 19 national preserves.
National historical parks
There are 50 national historical parks.
Authorized national historical parks
Name | Status |
---|---|
Coltsville National Historical Park | Connecticut (pending acquisition of property) |
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park | New York (pending acquisition of property) |
National historic sites
The National Park Service administers most of the national historic sites. However, the U.S. Forest Service manages one, Grey Towers National Historic Site, and the Bureau of Land Management manages Fort Craig National Historic Site.
There are 89 national historic sites, of which 78 are NPS units and 11 are affiliated areas.
Disbanded national historic sites
Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Atlanta Campaign National Historic Site | October 13, 1944 | September 21, 1950 | Transferred to state of Georgia; park never developed beyond a set of six roadside interpretive markers along the Dixie Highway |
Mar-a-Lago National Historic Site | October 21, 1972 | December 23, 1980 | Returned to a nonprofit foundation operated by the Post family, the original owners of the site |
McLoughlin House National Historic Site | June 27, 1941 | July 29, 2003 | Merged into Fort Vancouver National Historic Site |
St. Thomas National Historic Site | December 24, 1960 | February 5, 1975 | Transferred to Virgin Islands; currently operated as a Virgin Islands territorial park |
Authorized national historic sites
Name | Status |
---|---|
Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site | Pending acquisition of property |
International historic site
Name | Location |
---|---|
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site | Maine/New Brunswick |
National battlefield parks
National military parks
Disbanded national military parks
Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Moore's Creek National Military Park | June 2, 1926 | September 8, 1980 | Redesignated as Moores Creek National Battlefield |
Monocacy National Military Park | June 21, 1934 | October 21, 1976 | Redesignated Monocacy National Battlefield; previously Monocacy National Battlefield Site (1929 to 1934) |
National battlefields
National battlefield site
Name | Location |
---|---|
Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site | Mississippi |
Disbanded national battlefield sites
Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Antietam National Battlefield Site | August 30, 1890 | 1978 | Redesignated Antietam National Battlefield |
New Orleans Battlefield Site (Chalmette Monument and Grounds) | March 4, 1907 | 1939 | Redesignated Chalmette National Historical Park; incorporated into Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Nov. 10, 1978 |
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Site | February 8, 1917 | 1935 | Redesignated Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park |
White Plains National Battlefield Site | May 18, 1926 | 1956 | Assumed by Battle of White Plains Monument Committee, 1958 |
Tupelo National Battlefield Site | February 21, 1929 | 1961 | Redesignated Tupelo National Battlefield |
Monocacy National Battlefield Site | March 1, 1929 | June 21, 1934 | Reauthorized as a National Military Park; redesignated Monocacy National Battlefield, Oct. 21, 1976 |
Cowpens National Battlefield Site | March 4, 1929 | 1972 | Redesignated Cowpens National Battlefield |
Appomattox Battlefield Site | June 18, 1930 | 1935 | Designated Appomattox Court House National Historical Monument; redesignated Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, 1954 |
Fort Necessity National Battlefield Site | March 4, 1931 | 1961 | Redesignated Fort Necessity National Battlefield |
National memorials
There are 30 national memorials that are NPS units and five affiliated national memorials.
Disbanded national memorials
Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Camp Blount Tablets National Memorial | 1930 | 1944 | Tranferred to NPS in 1933 from War Dept., it was never developed; only a stone marker remains off U.S. Route 231 near Fayetteville, Tennessee |
New Echota Marker National Memorial | August 10, 1933 | September 21, 1950 | Transferred to state of Georgia; currently operated as a Georgia state park. |
Oklahoma City National Memorial | October 9, 1997 | January 23, 2004 | Transferred to the nonprofit Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation; NPS interpretation continues at this affiliated unit |
Authorized national memorials
Name | Law |
---|---|
Adams Memorial | Authorized by Public Law 107-62 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial | Authorized by Public Law 107-117 |
National Desert Storm/Desert Shield Memorial | Authorized by National Defense Authorization Act 2015[6] |
National recreation areas
There are 18 national recreation areas administered by the National Park Service.
Disestablished or transferred national recreation areas
Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area | December 27, 1974 | October 11, 2000 | Redesignated as Cuyahoga Valley National Park |
Shasta Lake Recreation Area | May 22, 1945 | July 1, 1948 | Transferred to U.S. Forest Service |
Lake Texoma Recreation Area | April 18, 1946 | June 30, 1949 | Returned to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
Millerton Lake Recreation Area | May 22, 1945 | November 1, 1957 | Transferred to state of California; currently operated by the California Department of Water Resources |
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area | July 22, 1963 | October 1, 1968 | Transferred to U.S. Forest Service |
Shadow Mountain National Recreation Area | June 27, 1952 | March 1, 1979 | Transferred to U.S. Forest Service |
National seashores
There are 10 national seashores.
National lakeshores
There are four national lakeshores, located in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
Name | Location |
---|---|
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore | Wisconsin |
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore | Indiana |
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore | Michigan |
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore | Michigan |
National rivers
There are 5 national rivers and 10 national wild and scenic rivers administered as distinct units of the National Park System.
National reserves
Name | Location |
---|---|
City of Rocks National Reserve | Idaho |
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve | Washington |
New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve (affiliated area) | New Jersey |
National parkways
Name | Location |
---|---|
Baltimore-Washington Parkway (affiliated area) | Maryland, Washington, D.C. |
Blue Ridge Parkway | Virginia, North Carolina |
Colonial Parkway (part of Colonial National Historical Park) | Virginia |
Foothills Parkway (part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park) | Tennessee |
George Washington Memorial Parkway (In 1989, the Maryland and DC portions of the Parkway were renamed Clara Barton Parkway to overcome motorist confusion). | Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. |
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway | Wyoming |
Natchez Trace Parkway | Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee |
Oxon Run Parkway (affiliated area) | Washington, D.C. |
Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway (affiliated area) | Washington, D.C. |
Suitland Parkway (affiliated area) | Maryland |
National historic and scenic trails
These National Park Service trails are part of the larger National Trails System. Only three of the trails are considered official units of the park system.
National cemeteries
Most national cemeteries are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, although a few are managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Army. None of the cemeteries are considered official units of the system; they are all affiliated with other parks.
Transferred national cemeteries
Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Chattanooga National Cemetery | August 10, 1933 | December 7, 1944 | returned to War Department |
National heritage areas
- See also:
The National Park Service provides limited assistance to national heritage areas, but does not administer them.
Other NPS protected areas and administrative groups
There are 11 NPS units of other designations, as well as other affiliated areas. The National Mall and national capital parks have many sites, some of which are also units of other designations and some are also national historic sites.
There are also various administrative groups of listed parks, such as Manhattan Sites, National Parks of New York Harbor, and Western Arctic National Parklands. The NPS also owns conservation easements (but not the land itself) for part of the area called the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District.
Disbanded other areas
Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Appomattox Court House National Historical Monument | 1935 | 1954 | Redesignated Appomattox Court House National Historical Park; previously Appomattox National Battlefield Site (1930-1935) |
Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts | October 15, 1966 | August 21, 2002 | Redesignated Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts |
National Visitor Center, Washington, D.C. | March 12, 1968 | December 29, 1981 | Transferred to Department of Transportation |
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | June 16, 1972 | July 21, 1994 | Transferred to Kennedy Center Trustees |
New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route (affiliated area) | 1988 | September 30, 2011 | Multiple site agencies continue managing the route without NPS partnership[8] |
In the 1930 and 1940s, the NPS developed dozens of recreational demonstration areas, most of which eventually became national or state parks.
See also
- List of the United States National Park System official units (the 411)
- List of all national parks of the world
- List of U.S. state parks
- United States Memorials
- National Park Passport Stamps
- List of National Natural Landmarks
- List of tourist attractions worldwide
References
- ↑ "National Reports". National Park Service. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- ↑ "National Reports". National Park Service. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- ↑ "Great Basin National Park - Lehman Caves National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". National Park Service. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ↑ Rogers, Paul (January 10, 2013). "Pinnacles becomes a national park -- the closest to Bay Area". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ↑ "National Reports". National Park Service. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- ↑ National Park Service-related provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 15, National Park Service, Dec. 19, 2014.
- ↑ Jack Broom, National Parks to recognize Wing Luke Museum , Seattle Times, 2013-02-06. Accessed online 2013-02-09.
- ↑ NPS notice from Northeast Region, Philadelphia (undated)
- Bureau Historian (2006). "Former National Park System Units: An Analysis".
- National Park Service. "National Monument Proclamations under the Antiquities Act"
- National Park Service Office of Public Affairs (2009). "Units in the National Park System". Last November 5, 2009. (Lists 392 NPS units by classification).
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Properties of the National Park Service by type. |
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for United States National Parks. |
- Alphabetical list of places at the National Park Service website
- Former National Park System Units: An Analysis
- National Park Service
- National Park Foundation
- Parks by Date of Establishment
- America's Hidden Treasures, an essay on the lesser known National Parks
- The National Park Travelers Club - an organization of individuals attempting to visit all units of the NPS
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