Discover Which States Hide the Nation’s Biggest National Park Secrets—and Which Barely Make the Map
National parks are stealing the spotlight like never before! In 2024, the National Park Service recorded a jaw-dropping 331 million visits—its biggest year on record. But here’s the kicker: while some states are practically swimming in protected wilderness, others are barely dipping their toes in. Ever wondered which states are national park junkies and which ones are playing it cool with just a sliver of land set aside? Buckle up—because the upcoming map and data reveal some surprising (and perhaps downright hilarious) contrasts in how America’s natural treasures are spread out. Ready to find out if your state is a national park heavyweight or a lightweight? Let’s dive in! LEARN MORE.
National parks are more popular than ever: in 2024, the National Park Service tallied more than 331 million visits, its biggest year on record. But some states have much more of their land dedicated to national parks than others. To see which states are at the top and bottom of that list, check out the map and data below.
- Public Lands by the Numbers
- National Park Lands in Each State
- States With the Least National Park Land
- Parks with Benefits
Public Lands by the Numbers
In August 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act, giving management of the country’s growing system of national parks and other public lands to the newly created National Park Service. According to data collected by the Congressional Research Service and last updated in 2020 [PDF], this government agency oversees more than 85 million acres of land across all 50 states, roughly 3.5 percent of the country’s total area. Those lands include 19 kinds of parks:
| Park Type | Number (as of 2025) |
|---|---|
| National Monuments | 87 |
| National Historic Sites | 75 |
| National Historical Parks | 64 |
| National Parks | 63 |
| National Memorials | 31 |
| National Preserves | 19 |
| National Recreation Areas | 18 |
| National Battlefields | 11 |
| Other Designations | 11 |
| National Seashores | 10 |
| National Wild and Scenic Rivers | 10 |
| National Military Parks | 9 |
| National Scenic Trails | 6 |
| National Battlefield Parks | 4 |
| National Parkways | 4 |
| National Rivers | 4 |
| National Lakeshores | 3 |
| National Reserves | 2 |
| National Battlefield Site | 1 |
| International Historic Site | 1 |
National Park Lands in Each State
More than half of those 85 million acres are located inside a single state: Alaska. With a population of less than 750,000, plenty of space is available for federal designation in the Last Frontier, including the five biggest national parks in the entire system:
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve: 13.2 million acres
- Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve: 8.5 million acres
- Denali National Park & Preserve: 6.1 million acres
- Katmai National Park & Preserve: 4.1 million acres
- Lake Clark National Park & Preserve: 4 million acres
While Alaska’s public lands encompass glaciers, rainforests, mountains, volcanoes, and frozen tundra, much of California’s national park territory is a lot hotter and drier. With 7.6 million acres, it has the largest area managed by the National Park Service in the lower 48 and its biggest NPS-managed unit is Death Valley National Park—3.3 million acres of scorching Mojave Desert populated mostly by sheep, foxes, kangaroo rats, and the skeletons of prospectors who failed to find their fortunes during the 19th century gold rush.
The states next in line in terms of national park acreage are Florida (2.4 million), Wyoming (2.3 million) and Utah (2 million): home of the Everglades National Park (1.5 million acres), Yellowstone National Park (2.2 million acres), and Canyonlands National Park (337,000 acres), respectively.
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Here’s the complete list:
| State/District | Total Acres |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 17,540 |
| Alaska | 52,455,308 |
| Arizona | 2,658,112 |
| Arkansas | 98,346 |
| California | 7,612,898 |
| Colorado | 665,260 |
| Connecticut | 5846 |
| Delaware | 890 |
| District of Columbia | 8476 |
| Florida | 2,469,173 |
| Georgia | 39,935 |
| Hawaii | 358,160 |
| Idaho | 511,963 |
| Illinois | 12 |
| Indiana | 10,769 |
| Iowa | 2708 |
| Kansas | 462 |
| Kentucky | 94,103 |
| Louisiana | 17,690 |
| Maine | 156,205 |
| Maryland | 41,532 |
| Massachusetts | 33,336 |
| Michigan | 632,280 |
| Minnesota | 139,789 |
| Mississippi | 104,369 |
| Missouri | 54,569 |
| Montana | 1,214,193 |
| Nebraska | 5899 |
| Nevada | 797,613 |
| New Hampshire | 13,696 |
| New Jersey | 35,683 |
| New Mexico | 468,968 |
| New York | 34,106 |
| North Carolina | 366,889 |
| North Dakota | 71,192 |
| Ohio | 20,290 |
| Oklahoma | 10,011 |
| Oregon | 196,197 |
| Pennsylvania | 53,460 |
| Rhode Island | 5 |
| South Carolina | 32,339 |
| South Dakota | 148,010 |
| Tennessee | 359,197 |
| Texas | 1,206,489 |
| Utah | 2,097,860 |
| Vermont | 9836 |
| Virginia | 306,393 |
| Washington | 1,834,616 |
| West Virginia | 65,554 |
| Wisconsin | 61,835 |
| Wyoming | 2,345,619 |
States With the Least National Park Land
On the flipside, there’s Kansas. Though it has roughly the same total area as Florida or Wyoming, only 462 acres of its land is owned by the National Parks Service. In Kansas’s defense, this comparatively small number is due to the fact that the state’s largest park, the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, which covers nearly 11,000 acres of land, is privately owned by the Nature Conservancy and is co-managed with the National Park Service.
