How Many National Parks Are There? Full List by State
The count of U.S. national parks changed in October 2026, when Chiricahua in Arizona became the 64th. Here is the full list by state, which states have the most, and why the National Park Service manages far more than 64 places.
There are 64 national parks in the United States as of November 2026. The newest, Chiricahua National Park in Arizona, became the 64th on October 20, 2026, when the Chiricahua National Park Act was signed into law. The National Park Service manages 434 units in total, but only those 64 carry the “national park” title.
The 64 parks are spread across 30 states and two U.S. territories, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. California has the most, with nine, followed by Alaska with eight and Utah with five.
What is the newest national park?
Chiricahua National Park in southeast Arizona is the newest. Congress passed H.R. 6380, and the President signed it on October 20, 2026, converting Chiricahua National Monument, protected since 1924, into a national park. According to the park’s official FAQ, the change does not alter the park’s roughly 12,000 acres, its management, or its current fees and permits. The park is in Cochise County, about 37 miles southeast of Willcox, and is known for rock pinnacles, hiking trails and sky-island wildlife.
Chiricahua is the first new national park since New River Gorge in West Virginia, which was redesignated from a national river in December 2020. The most recent additions, in order:
- Chiricahua (Arizona), October 2026
- New River Gorge (West Virginia), December 2020
- White Sands (New Mexico), December 2019
- Indiana Dunes (Indiana), February 2019
- Gateway Arch (Missouri), February 2018
Most recent parks were existing NPS sites renamed by Congress, not newly protected land.
Which states have the most national parks?
California leads with nine national parks, Alaska has eight, Utah five, and Colorado and Arizona four each. Twenty states have no national park, including New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Illinois, although most of them have other NPS sites such as historic parks, seashores or monuments.
| State or territory | Number | National parks |
|---|---|---|
| California | 9 | Channel Islands, Death Valley (shared with NV), Joshua Tree, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles, Redwood, Sequoia, Yosemite |
| Alaska | 8 | Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, Wrangell-St. Elias |
| Utah | 5 | Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion |
| Arizona | 4 | Chiricahua, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Saguaro |
| Colorado | 4 | Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Rocky Mountain |
| Florida | 3 | Biscayne, Dry Tortugas, Everglades |
| Washington | 3 | Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Olympic |
| Wyoming | 2 | Grand Teton, Yellowstone (shared with MT and ID) |
| Hawaii | 2 | Haleakalā, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes |
| New Mexico | 2 | Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands |
| South Dakota | 2 | Badlands, Wind Cave |
| Texas | 2 | Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains |
| Tennessee and North Carolina | 1 (shared) | Great Smoky Mountains |
| Arkansas | 1 | Hot Springs |
| Indiana | 1 | Indiana Dunes |
| Kentucky | 1 | Mammoth Cave |
| Maine | 1 | Acadia |
| Michigan | 1 | Isle Royale |
| Minnesota | 1 | Voyageurs |
| Missouri | 1 | Gateway Arch |
| Montana | 1 (plus part of Yellowstone) | Glacier |
| Nevada | 1 (plus part of Death Valley) | Great Basin |
| North Dakota | 1 | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Ohio | 1 | Cuyahoga Valley |
| Oregon | 1 | Crater Lake |
| South Carolina | 1 | Congaree |
| Virginia | 1 | Shenandoah |
| West Virginia | 1 | New River Gorge |
| Idaho | Shared only | Small part of Yellowstone |
| American Samoa | 1 | National Park of American Samoa |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 1 | Virgin Islands |
Three parks cross state lines: Yellowstone (Wyoming, Montana and Idaho), Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee and North Carolina) and Death Valley (California and Nevada). Each is counted once in the total of 64. Sequoia and Kings Canyon are managed together but are two separate parks.
What is the difference between a national park and an NPS unit?
A national park is one of at least 19 designations used in the National Park System. According to the National Park Service’s system overview, updated in late October 2026, the agency manages 434 units, including national monuments, historic sites, battlefields, seashores, lakeshores, recreation areas, parkways and trails.
Only Congress can create a national park, and the title usually goes to large areas with outstanding natural features. Presidents can protect land as national monuments under the Antiquities Act, and many monuments later became national parks, as Chiricahua did. All NPS units with an entrance fee accept the $80 America the Beautiful pass; see our guide to whether the pass is worth it.
Which national parks are the biggest, oldest and most visited?
The 64 parks vary enormously in size, age and popularity:
- Oldest: Yellowstone, established in 1872 as the world’s first national park.
- Largest: Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska, about 13.2 million acres including its national preserve.
- Smallest: Gateway Arch in St. Louis, under 200 acres.
- Most visited in 2025: Great Smoky Mountains, with 11,527,939 recreation visits, according to the NPS.
- Least visited in 2025: Kobuk Valley in Alaska, with 7,786 recreation visits.
Our list of the least crowded national parks ranks the quietest parks with their 2025 numbers, and the best national parks for first-time visitors covers the easiest ones to start with.
Could there be more national parks soon?
Yes, but each one needs an act of Congress. Bills to redesignate other NPS sites as national parks are introduced in most sessions of Congress, and few pass. As of November 2026, a bill to make Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., a national park had been introduced but not passed. Any new park would most likely be an existing monument or preserve that is renamed, as with every park added since 2013.
How long would it take to visit all 64 national parks?
Visiting all 64 national parks usually takes years. The 52 parks in the Lower 48 can fill several summers of road trips, and three of them, Isle Royale, Dry Tortugas and Channel Islands, require a boat or plane. Most Alaska parks need small planes, and Hawaii, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands require long flights. Plan the hardest ones, such as Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley, around short summer seasons and the availability of air taxis. To track your progress, tick them off on our national parks checklist.
Bottom line
The United States has 64 national parks as of November 2026, after Chiricahua became the newest on October 20, 2026. They are spread across 30 states and two territories, led by California with nine, while the National Park Service as a whole manages 434 units. If you see older sources saying 63, they predate Chiricahua’s redesignation.
FAQ
Are there 63 or 64 national parks?
There are 64. The count was 63 from December 2020, when New River Gorge became a national park, until October 20, 2026, when Chiricahua became the 64th.
How many states have no national park?
Twenty states have no national park, including New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Georgia and Illinois. Most of them still have other National Park Service sites. Counting states as well? Color them in on our states I’ve visited map.
Which state has the most national parks?
California has the most, with nine national parks, from Redwood in the north to Joshua Tree and Channel Islands in the south.
Is Chiricahua National Park free to visit?
The park says its redesignation did not change existing fees or permits. Check the official Chiricahua website for current entrance and campground fees before you go.
