National Parks 35 parks Updated 2026

Oldest National Parks in the United States

Ranked by Year

Photo: NPS/M.Quinn

35
Parks: 21
States: 12
Free Entry: Grand Canyon
#1 Most Visited

Quick answer: Yellowstone (1872) is the oldest national park in the United States and the world. Sequoia (1890) and Yosemite (1890) are next. The newest is New River Gorge, established in 2020.

Yellowstone was established on March 1, 1872 — more than 44 years before the National Park Service itself existed. The idea of setting aside land for public enjoyment rather than private exploitation was revolutionary. Today those early parks, each established by a separate act of Congress, form the oldest layer of the American conservation legacy.

Map

Oldest National Parks in the United States

#	Park	State	Area	Established
1	Grand Canyon National Park Arizona	Arizona	1,201,647 acres	1919
2	Acadia National Park Maine	Maine	49,052 acres	1919
3	Arches National Park Utah	Utah	76,679 acres	1971
4	Badlands National Park South Dakota	South Dakota	242,756 acres	1978
5	Big Bend National Park Texas	Texas	801,163 acres	1944
6	Biscayne National Park Florida	Florida	172,971 acres	1980
7	Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park Colorado	Colorado	30,780 acres	1999
8	Bryce Canyon National Park Utah	Utah	35,835 acres	1928
9	Canyonlands National Park Utah	Utah	337,598 acres	1964
10	Capitol Reef National Park Utah	Utah	241,904 acres	1971
11	Carlsbad Caverns National Park New Mexico	New Mexico	46,766 acres	1930
12	Channel Islands National Park California	California	249,561 acres	1980
13	Congaree National Park South Carolina	South Carolina	26,546 acres	2003
14	Crater Lake National Park Oregon	Oregon	183,224 acres	1902
15	Cuyahoga Valley National Park Ohio	Ohio	32,572 acres	2000
16	Death Valley National Park California	California	3,422,024 acres	1994
17	Denali National Park & Preserve Alaska	Alaska	6,045,153 acres	1917
18	Dry Tortugas National Park Florida	Florida	64,701 acres	1992
19	Everglades National Park Florida	Florida	1,508,938 acres	1934
20	Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve Alaska	Alaska	7,523,898 acres	1980
21	Gateway Arch National Park Missouri	Missouri	91 acres	2018
22	Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve Alaska	Alaska	3,283,168 acres	1980
23	Grand Teton National Park Wyoming	Wyoming	310,044 acres	1929
24	Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Alaska	Alaska	2,619,733 acres	1980
25	Lassen Volcanic National Park California	California	106,589 acres	1916
26	Mammoth Cave National Park Kentucky	Kentucky	54,011 acres	1941
27	Mount Rainier National Park Washington	Washington	236,381 acres	1899
28	National Park of American Samoa American Samoa	American Samoa	8,257 acres	1988
29	New River Gorge National Park & Preserve West Virginia	West Virginia	70,814 acres	2020
30	Olympic National Park Washington	Washington	922,650 acres	1938
31	Pinnacles National Park California	California	26,686 acres	2013
32	Redwood National and State Parks California	California	138,999 acres	1968
33	Saguaro National Park Arizona	Arizona	91,440 acres	1994
34	Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota	North Dakota	70,447 acres	1978
35	Virgin Islands National Park U.S. Virgin Islands	U.S. Virgin Islands	14,689 acres	1956

Top 10 — Oldest National Parks in the United States

Grand Canyon National Park

Arizona · Southwest

Key Facts

Established: 1919
Area: 1,201,647 acres
Entry fee: $35/vehicle

Grand Canyon National Park in northwestern Arizona, established February 26, 1919, preserves a 277-mile gorge carved by the Colorado River — over a mile deep and up to 18 miles wide — whose layered walls expose 1.7 billion years of Earth's geological history and rank it among the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Read more about Grand Canyon National Park

Acadia National Park

Maine · Northeast

Key Facts

Established: 1919
Area: 49,052 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 4 million (2023)
Entry fee: $6/vehicle

Acadia National Park in Maine protects 49,052 acres of rocky Atlantic headlands; established in 1919, it ranks fifth most-visited among U.S. national parks with nearly 4 million annual visitors.

Arches National Park

Utah · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1971
Area: 76,679 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 1.8 million (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle

Arches National Park in Utah protects 76,679 acres of red-rock desert containing more than 2,000 named natural stone arches — the highest concentration on Earth; established in 1971, the park draws about 1.8 million visitors a year.

Badlands National Park

South Dakota · Midwest

Key Facts

Established: 1978
Area: 242,756 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 1.1 million (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle

Badlands National Park in South Dakota protects 242,756 acres of eroded buttes and spires containing one of the world's richest Oligocene fossil beds; established as a national park in 1978, it draws about 1.1 million visitors a year.

Big Bend National Park

Texas · Southwest

Key Facts

Established: 1944
Area: 801,163 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 519K (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle

Big Bend National Park in Texas protects 801,163 acres of Chihuahuan Desert, the Chisos Mountains, and 118 miles of Rio Grande border with Mexico; established in 1944, it records more than 450 bird species — the highest count of any U.S. national park.

Biscayne National Park

Florida · Southeast

Key Facts

Established: 1980
Area: 172,971 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 565K (2023)
Entry fee: Free

Biscayne National Park in Florida protects 172,971 acres of Biscayne Bay, the northern Florida Keys, and the only living coral reef in the continental United States; established in 1980, the park is 95 percent water and requires a boat to reach most of its islands.

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

Colorado · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1999
Area: 30,780 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 506K (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado protects 30,780 acres of one of the deepest, narrowest canyons in North America, where the Gunnison River carved walls up to 2,722 feet deep through 1.7-billion-year-old Precambrian rock; established in 1999, the park draws about 506,000 visitors a year.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Utah · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1928
Area: 35,835 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 2.9 million (2023)
Entry fee: $35/vehicle

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah sits atop the Paunsaugunt Plateau at 8,000 to 9,115 feet elevation, protecting the world's largest concentration of hoodoos — orange and white limestone spires carved by frost; established in 1928, the park draws about 2.9 million visitors a year.

Read more about Bryce Canyon National Park

Canyonlands National Park

Utah · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1964
Area: 337,598 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 840K (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle

Canyonlands National Park in Utah protects 337,598 acres of canyon wilderness carved by the Colorado and Green rivers, making it Utah's largest national park. Established in 1964, the park draws roughly 840,000 visitors a year across four separate districts with no connecting roads.

Read more about Canyonlands National Park

10.

Capitol Reef National Park

Utah · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1971
Area: 241,904 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 1.5 million (2023)
Entry fee: $20/vehicle

Capitol Reef National Park in Utah protects 241,904 acres along the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile wrinkle in Earth's crust that exposes nearly 270 million years of geologic history. Established in 1971, the park draws roughly 1.5 million visitors a year to its canyons, arches, and working pioneer orchards.

Read more about Capitol Reef National Park

Showing 10 of 35 parks. · See full list above ↑

Collection Stats

Total parks 35

States covered 21

Free admission 12 parks

Dog-friendly 31 parks

Dark Sky parks 10 parks

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