Areas set apart because of some outstanding scenic feature or natural phenomena. The principal qualities considered in studying areas for park purposes are their inspirational, educational, and recreational values.

name (location) outstanding feature(s)
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Acadia (Maine) highest land on the Atlantic Coast; rugged coastline

Arches (Utah) giant rock arches, windows, and towers formed by erosion

Badlands (South Dakota) rugged ravines, ridges, and cliffs; animal fossils

Big Bend (Texas) Chisos Mountains and Desert in big bend of Rio Grande

Biscayne (Florida) aquatic park encompassing a chain of islands south of Miami

Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Colorado) narrow, steep-walled canyon with shadowed depths

Bryce Canyon (Utah) oddly shaped, beautifully colored rock formations in horseshoe-shaped basins

Canyonlands (Utah) canyons, mesas, and sandstone spires; 1,000-year-old Indian rock carvings

Capitol Reef (Utah) colorful ridge 60 miles long with white dome-shaped rock

Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico) huge underground caves with strange rock formations

Channel Islands (California) sea lion breeding place; nesting sea birds; unique plants

Congaree (South Carolina) the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States

Crater Lake (Oregon) lake in dead volcano; colorful lava walls almost 2,000 feet high

Death Valley (California) lowest point in the Western Hemisphere

Denali (Alaska) formerly Mount McKinley National Park; highest mountain in North America; wildlife

Dry Tortugas (Florida) Formerly Fort Jefferson National Monument. 64,700.

Everglades (Florida) subtropical wilderness with plentiful wildlife

Gates of the Arctic (Alaska) vast wilderness in north central region

Glacier (Montana) many glaciers and lakes among towering Rocky Mountain peaks

Glacier Bay (Alaska) tidewater glaciers; wildlife

Grand Canyon (Arizona) canyon 1 mile deep with brightly colored walls and rock shapes

Grand Teton (Wyoming) rugged Teton peaks; winter feeding ground of a large elk herd

Great Basin (Nevada) wide basins and high mountain ranges

Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee/North Carolina) high mountains; large hardwood and evergreen forests

Guadalupe Mountains (Texas) fossil limestone reef; evergreen forest overlooking desert

Haleakala (Hawaii) inactive volcano with a large, colorful crater

Hawaii Volcanoes (Hawaii) two active volcanoes; rare plants and animals

Hopewell Culture (Ohio) formerly Mound City Group National Monument; prehistoric Indian burial mounds

Hot Springs (Arkansas) mineral springs at the base of Hot Springs Mountain

Isle Royale (Michigan) island wilderness with large moose herd and wolves

Joshua Tree (California) Joshua trees; desert animals and plants

Katmai (Alaska) Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, scene of 1912 volcanic eruption

Kenai Fjords (Alaska) wildlife; Harding Icefield

Kings Canyon (California) mountain wilderness of giant sequoia trees

Kobuk Valley (Alaska) broad river that is the core of native culture

Lake Clark (Alaska) scenic wilderness rich in fish and wildlife

Lassen Volcanic (California) active volcano; steep domes of lava

Mammoth Cave (Kentucky) huge cave with 150 miles of corridors, underground lakes, rivers, and waterfalls

Mesa Verde (Colorado) prehistoric Indian cliff dwellings

Mount Rainier (Washington) greatest single-peak glacier system in the United States

North Cascades (Washington) mountain wilderness with glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, and jagged peaks

Olympic (Washington) oceanside mountain wilderness with rain forest and elk

Petrified Forest (Arizona) ancient, rock-hard wood; Indian ruins; Painted Desert

Redwood (California) world's tallest known trees in coastal redwood forest

Rocky Mountain (Colorado) more than 100 peaks over 11,000 feet high

Saguaro (Arizona) cactus forest

Samoa (American Samoa) the only paleotropical rain forest in the world

Sequoia (California) giant sequoia trees; Mount Whitney

Shenandoah (Virginia) Blue Ridge Mountains; hardwood forest; Skyline Drive

Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota) part of Theodore Roosevelt's ranch; scenic badlands

Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands) white beaches; tropical plants and animals

Voyageurs (Minnesota) beautiful northern forests of aspen, birch, pine, and spruce; more than 50 lakes

Wind Cave (South Dakota) limestone caverns; prairie wildlife

Wrangell-St. Elias (Alaska) most peaks over 15,000 feet; abundant wildlife; largest area in National Park System

Yellowstone (Wyoming, Idaho, Montana) world's greatest concentration of geysers; canyons and waterfalls; wide variety of wildlife

Yosemite (California) mountain scenery with deep gorges and high waterfalls

Zion (Utah) colorful canyons and mesas

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This page was last updated on 08/24/2017.