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Published: Mar 21, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links

US National Parks by Size

Have you ever wondered just how big the US National Parks are? Today we are breaking down US National Parks by Size from largest to smallest.

You may be surprised at just how small the smallest park is.

US National Parks by Size

Contents

  • US National Parks by Size
    • What is the Largest National Park in the United States?
    • What is the largest National Park in the Lower 48?
    • What is the smallest national park in the United States?
    • National Parks ranked by size
    • National Park by Size Notes
    • National Parks by size and state
    • Top 30 Largest National Park Service Sites by Size
    • Top 30 Smallest National Park Service Sites by Size
    • Additional National Park Articles

The National Park Service includes 423 park sites as of early 2021. These sites encompass mountain ranges, protected areas, the lowest spot in the United States at 282 feet below sea level in Death Valley National Park, to Mount Denali in Denali National Park being the highest point in North America at 20310 feet above sea level and so many more amazing sites to see.

When it comes to the biggest National Park in the National Park System you may be surprised to learn it is 6 times larger than Yellowstone National Park....The largest park is Wrangell St. Elias National Park in Alaska. 

Seven of the 10 biggest national parks can be found in the state of Alaska. 

The United States has some of the most amazing national parks in the world. We are blessed to have Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park and so many other gorgeous parks we can easily visit.

Below we are breaking down the 63 National Parks by size. While there are 423 sites in the National Park Service we wanted to break down the parks you are most familiar with. 

One thing you may notice is some of the largest national park sites are actually national parks and preserves. These parks you may see their total acre combined because often they are run as one park unit even though the park designation is different.

This happens a lot with Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The park land size is combined often so you will see varying numbers depending on the list you are looking at. 

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What is the Largest National Park in the United States?

The largest National Park in the United States by landmass is Wrangell St Elias National Park in Alaska.

Wrangell St. Elias NP is over 8.3 million acres and was established in December 1980.

To give a bit of perspective on how big Wrangell St Elias is it would take six Yellowstone NP to fill Wrangell St. Elias.

The 2nd largest National Park site is Gates of the Arctic with 7,500,000 acres followed by Denali NP with over 4.7 million acres. 

What is the largest National Park in the Lower 48?

While Alaska has a large number of the largest National Parks there are quite a few good size parks in the lower 48 states.

The largest national park in the lower 48 is...Death Valley National Park!

Death Valley is 3.4 million acres of epic landscape to explore.

The 2nd largest national park in the lower 48 is Yellowstone National Park with 2.2 million acres.

Followed by Everglades National Park in Florida with 1.4 million acres.

What is the smallest national park in the United States?

The smallest national park in the United States is Gateway Arch NP in St. Louis, Missouri. This park is only 192 acres.

Hot Springs National Park is the 2nd smallest National Park in the United States with only 5,549 acres which is 8.6 square miles of land.

The 3rd smallest national park site is the National Park of American Samoa with only 8,256 acres

The smallest overall site in the National Park Service is Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Pennsylvania that is only 0.02 acres.

National Parks ranked by size

Ranking National Park Acres (approx) State
1 Wrangell-St. Elias 8,323,146 Alaska
2 Gates of the Arctic 7,523,897 Alaska
3 Denali 4,740,911 Alaska
4 Katmai 3,674,529 Alaska
5 Death Valley 3,408,395 California
6 Glacier Bay 3,223,383 Alaska
7 Lake Clark 2,619,816 Alaska
8 Yellowstone 2,219,790 Wyoming/Montana
9 Kobuk Valley 1,750,716 Alaska
10 Everglades 1,400,539 Florida
11 Grand Canyon 1,201,647 Arizona
12 Glacier 1,013,126 Montana
13 Olympic 922,649 Washington
14 Big Bend 801,163 Texas
15 Joshua Tree 795,155 California
16 Yosemite 761,747 California
17 Kenai Fjords 669,650 Alaska
18 Isle Royale 571,790 Michigan
19 Great Smoky Mountains 522,426 Tennessee
20 North Cascades 504,780 Washington
21 Kings Canyon 461,901 California
22 Sequoia  404,062 California
23 Canyonlands 337,597 Utah
24 Hawaii Volcanoes 325,605 Hawaii
25 Grand Teton 310,044 Wyoming 
26 Rocky Mountain 265,807 Colorado
27 Channel Islands 249,561 California
28 Badlands 242,755 South Dakota
29 Capitol Reef 241,904 Utah
30 Mount Rainier 236,381 Washington
31 Petrified Forest 221,390 Arizona
32 Voyageurs 218,222 Minnesota
33 Shenandoah 199,223 Virginia
34 Crater Lake 183,224 Oregon
35 Biscayne 172,971 Florida
36 Zion 147,242 Utah
37 White Sands 146,344 New Mexico
38 Redwood 138,999 California
39 Great Sand Dunes 107,341 Colorado
40 Lassen Volcanic 106,589 California
41 Saguaro 92,867 Arizona
42 Guadalupe Mountains 86,367 Texas
43 Great Basin 77,180 Nevada
44 Arches 76,678 Utah
45 New River Gorge 72,185 West Virginia
46 Theodore Roosevelt 70,446 North Dakoa
47 Dry Tortugas 64,701 Florida
48 Mammoth Cave 54,011 Kentucky
49 Mesa Verde 52,485 Colorado
50 Acadia 49,076 Maine
51 Carlsbad Caverns 46,766 New Mexico
52 Bryce Canyon 35,835 Utah
53 Wind Cave 33,970 South Dakota
54 Haleakala 33,264 Hawaii
55 Cuyahoga Valley 32,571 Ohio
56 Black Canyon of the Gunnison 30,779 Colorado
57 Pinnacles 26,685 California
58 Congaree 26,476 South Carolina
59 Indiana Dunes 15,349 Indiana
60 Virgin Islands 15,052 Virgin Islands
61 American Samoa 8,256 American Samoa
62 Hot Springs 5,554 Arkansas
63 Gateway Arch 192 Missouri

National Park by Size Notes

Redwood National Park includes both National and State parklands for a total of  131,983 acres (federal: 71,715; state: 60,268).

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California are often combined into one park because they are co-managed. We have them as 2 separate parks since they count individually towards the total 63 national parks and 423 national park service sites.

National Parks by size and state

Ranking National Park Acres (approx) State
1 Wrangell-St. Elias 8,323,146 Alaska
2 Gates of the Arctic 7,523,897 Alaska
3 Denali 4,740,911 Alaska
4 Katmai 3,674,529 Alaska
5 Glacier Bay 3,223,383 Alaska
6 Lake Clark 2,619,816 Alaska
7 Kobuk Valley 1,750,716 Alaska
8 Kenai Fjords 669,650 Alaska
9 American Samoa 8,256 American Samoa
10 Grand Canyon 1,201,647 Arizona
11 Petrified Forest 221,390 Arizona
12 Saguaro 92,867 Arizona
13 Hot Springs 5,554 Arkansas
14 Death Valley 3,408,395 California
15 Joshua Tree 795,155 California
16 Yosemite 761,747 California
17 Kings Canyon 461,901 California
18 Sequoia  404,062 California
19 Channel Islands 249,561 California
20 Redwood 138,999 California
21 Lassen Volcanic 106,589 California
22 Pinnacles 26,685 California
23 Rocky Mountain 265,807 Colorado
24 Great Sand Dunes 107,341 Colorado
25 Mesa Verde 52,485 Colorado
26 Black Canyon of the Gunnison 30,779 Colorado
27 Everglades 1,400,539 Florida
28 Biscayne 172,971 Florida
29 Dry Tortugas 64,701 Florida
30 Hawaii Volcanoes 325,605 Hawaii
31 Haleakala 33,264 Hawaii
32 Indiana Dunes 15,349 Indiana
33 Mammoth Cave 54,011 Kentucky
34 Acadia 49,076 Maine
35 Isle Royale 571,790 Michigan
36 Voyageurs 218,222 Minnesota
37 Gateway Arch 192 Missouri
38 Glacier 1,013,126 Montana
39 Great Basin 77,180 Nevada
40 White Sands 146,344 New Mexico
41 Carlsbad Caverns 46,766 New Mexico
42 Theodore Roosevelt 70,446 North Dakoa
43 Cuyahoga Valley 32,571 Ohio
44 Crater Lake 183,224 Oregon
45 Congaree 26,476 South Carolina
46 Badlands 242,755 South Dakota
47 Wind Cave 33,970 South Dakota
48 Great Smoky Mountains 522,426 Tennessee
49 Big Bend 801,163 Texas
50 Guadalupe Mountains 86,367 Texas
51 Canyonlands 337,597 Utah
52 Capitol Reef 241,904 Utah
53 Zion 147,242 Utah
54 Arches 76,678 Utah
55 Bryce Canyon 35,835 Utah
56 Virgin Islands 15,052 Virgin Islands
57 Shenandoah 199,223 Virginia
58 Olympic 922,649 Washington
59 North Cascades 504,780 Washington
60 Mount Ranier 236,381 Washington
61 New River Gorge 72,185 West Virginia
62 Grand Teton 310,044 Wyoming 
63 Yellowstone 2,219,790 Wyoming/Montana
Grand Canyon National Park Travel Tips to help you plan your Arizona Vacation. Things to do, photography, hiking and more! #grandcanton #grandcanyonnationalpark #arizona #sevenwonders

Sun setting in the Grand Canyon

 

Top 30 Largest National Park Service Sites by Size

  Park Name Total Acres State 
1 Wrangell St Elias National Park 8,323,146.48 Alaska
2 Gates of the Arctic National Park 7,523,897.45 Alaska
3 Noatak National Preserve 6,587,071.39 Alaska
4 Wrangel St Elias National Preserve 4,852,644.52 Alaska
5 Denali National Park 4,740,911.16 Alaska
6 Katmai National Park 3,674,529.33 Alaska
7 Death Valley National Park 3,408,395.63 California/Nevada
8 Glacier Bay National Park 3,223,383.43 Alaska
9 Bering Land Bridge National Preserve 2,697,391.01 Alaska
10 Lake Clark National Park 2,619,816.49 Alaska
11 Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve 2,526,512.44 Alaska
12 Yellowstone National Park 2,219,790.71 Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
13 Kobuk Valley National Park 1,750,716.16 Alaska
14 Mojave National Preserve 1,547,955.00 California 
15 Lake Mead National Recreation Area 1,495,815.53 Arizona, Nevada
16 Lake Clark National Reserve 1,410,293.68 Alaska
17 Everglades National Park 1,400,539.30 Florida
18 Denali National Preserve 1,334,117.80 Alaska
19 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 1,254,116.62 Arizona, Utah
20 Grand Canyon National Park 1,201,647.03 Arizona
21 Glacier National Park 1,013,126.39 Montana
22 Gates of the Arctic National Preserve 948,608.07 Alaska
23 Olympic National Park 922,649.41 Washington
24 Big Bend National Park 801,163.21 Texas
25 Joshua Tree National Park 795,155.85 California
26 Yosemite National Park 761,747.50 California
27 Crater of the Moon National Preserve 698,939.69 Idaho
28 Kenai Fjords National Park 669,650.05 Alaska
29 Cape Krusenstern National Monument 649,096.15 Alaska
30 Big Cypress National Preserve 574,453.32 Florida

Top 30 Smallest National Park Service Sites by Size

1 Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial 0.02 Pennsylvania
2 Mary Mcleod Bethune House NHS 0.07 District of Columbia
3 John F Kennedy NHS 0.09 Massachusetts
4 Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace NHS 0.11 New York
5 Carter G Woodsen NHS 0.15 District of Columbia
6 Ford's Theatre NHS 0.30 District of Columbia
7 Belmont-Paul Women's Equality NM 0.34 District of Columbia
8 African Burial Ground NM 0.35 New York
9 Pullman NM 0.40 Illinois
10 Federal Hall National Memorial 0.45 New York
11 First Ladies NHS 0.46 Ohio
12 Edgar Allen Poe NH 0.52 Pennsylvania
13 Boston African American NHS 0.59 Massachusetts
14 President William J Clinton Birthplace NHS 0.68 Arkansas
15 Medgar-Myrlie Evers Home NM 0.74 Mississippi
16 General Grant National Memorial 0.76 New York
17 Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument 0.88 Alabama
18 Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield 1.00 Mississippi
19 Castle Clinton National Monument 1.00 New York
20 Tupelo National Battlefield 1.00 Mississippi
21 Theodore Roosevelt Inaguration NHS 1.18 New York
22 Maggie L Walker NHS 1.29 Virginia
23 World War I National Memorial 1.39 District of Columbia
24 Korean War Veterans Memorial 1.56 District of Columbia
25 Hamilton Grange National Memorial 1.75 New York
26 Brown Vs. Board of Education NHS 1.85 Kansas
27 Longfellow House Washington HQ NHS 1.98 Massachusetts
28 Vietnam Veterans Memorial 2.18 District of Columbia
29 Martin L King Jr Memorial 2.74 District of Columbia
30 Dwight D Eisenhower Memorial 3.39 District of Columbia

Additional National Park Articles

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Least Visited National Parks

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US National Park Pass

Check out all of our National Park articles. 

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Hi, I'm Park Ranger John and I am so happy you are here!  I have been a Park Ranger for almost 20 years and can't wait to share with you National Park Travel Tips, Recipes, and so much more!
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