Guide Rankings Geography Updated June 15, 2026

States With the Most National Parks

Yosemite Valley seen from Taft Point at dusk — California leads the nation with 9 national parks

States With the Most National Parks

Ranking - Geography

Yosemite National Park in California. California leads all 50 states with 9 national parks.

Quick Answer

States With the Most National Parks

  1. 1

    California leads all 50 states with 9 national parks — Channel Islands, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles, Redwood, Sequoia, and Yosemite. Alaska ranks second with 8.

  2. 2

    Utah ranks 3rd with 5 national parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Colorado is 4th with 4. Arizona, Florida, and Washington each have 3.

  3. 3

    29 of 50 states have at least one national park. The remaining 21 states — including New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Georgia — have none.

Map

National Parks by State Map

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California (9 parks) and Alaska (8 parks) are the only states with more than 5 national parks. Twenty-one states — including New York and Pennsylvania — have none.
National Parks by State Map
Rank State parks
1 California 9
2 Alaska 8
3 Utah 5
4 Colorado 4
5 Arizona 3
5 Florida 3
5 Washington 3
8 Hawaii 2
8 New Mexico 2
8 South Dakota 2
8 Texas 2
12 Arkansas 1
12 Idaho 1
12 Indiana 1
12 Kentucky 1
12 Maine 1
12 Michigan 1
12 Minnesota 1
12 Missouri 1
12 Montana 1
12 Nevada 1
12 North Carolina 1
12 North Dakota 1
12 Ohio 1
12 Oregon 1
12 South Carolina 1
12 Virginia 1
12 West Virginia 1
12 Wyoming 1
30 Alabama 0
30 Connecticut 0
30 Delaware 0
30 Georgia 0
30 Illinois 0
30 Iowa 0
30 Kansas 0
30 Louisiana 0
30 Maryland 0
30 Massachusetts 0
30 Mississippi 0
30 Nebraska 0
30 New Hampshire 0
30 New Jersey 0
30 New York 0
30 Oklahoma 0
30 Pennsylvania 0
30 Rhode Island 0
30 Tennessee 0
30 Vermont 0
30 Wisconsin 0

California (9 parks) and Alaska (8 parks) are the only states with more than 5 national parks. Twenty-one states — including New York and Pennsylvania — have none.

States With the Most National Parks

Region

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Print-ready table — States With the Most National Parks

States With the Most and Fewest National Parks

Highest

9
California flag
California #1

Lowest

0
Wisconsin flag
Wisconsin #30

Top 10 Highest — National Parks

#1 California flag California
9
#2 Alaska flag Alaska
8
#3 Utah flag Utah
5
#4 Colorado flag Colorado
4
#5 Arizona flag Arizona
3
#5 Florida flag Florida
3
#5 Washington flag Washington
3
#8 Hawaii flag Hawaii
2
#8 New Mexico flag New Mexico
2
#8 South Dakota flag South Dakota
2

Top 10 Lowest — National Parks

#30 Wisconsin flag Wisconsin
0
#30 Vermont flag Vermont
0
#30 Tennessee flag Tennessee
0
#30 Rhode Island flag Rhode Island
0
#30 Pennsylvania flag Pennsylvania
0
#30 Oklahoma flag Oklahoma
0
#30 New York flag New York
0
#30 New Jersey flag New Jersey
0
#30 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
0
#30 Nebraska flag Nebraska
0

California and Alaska Lead the Nation in National Park Count

California has 9 national parks — the most of any state. Alaska has 8, the second-highest total. Together, those two states hold 17 of the 63 national parks in the United States.

California's 9 parks span deserts (Death Valley, Joshua Tree), coast (Channel Islands), ancient forests (Redwood, Sequoia, Kings Canyon), and volcanic terrain (Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles). Alaska's 8 include Wrangell-St. Elias, the largest national park in the country at 13.2 million acres.

States With 3 to 5 National Parks

Utah ranks 3rd with 5 parks — Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion — all within the Colorado Plateau region. Colorado ranks 4th with 4: Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, and Rocky Mountain.

Three states tie for 5th place with 3 parks each. Arizona has Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Saguaro. Florida has Biscayne, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades. Washington has Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic.

21 States Have No National Parks

21 of 50 states have no units officially designated as national parks by the NPS. They include populous states such as New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Tennessee.

18 states have exactly 1 national park each, including Maine (Acadia), Montana (Glacier), Oregon (Crater Lake), and Wyoming (Grand Teton).

Quick Answers

Which state has the most national parks?
California has the most national parks of any state with 9: Channel Islands, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles, Redwood, Sequoia, and Yosemite.
How many national parks does Alaska have?
Alaska has 8 national parks: Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, and Wrangell-St. Elias. Alaska ranks 2nd among all 50 states.
What national parks are in Utah?
Utah has 5 national parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Utah ranks 3rd among all 50 states, behind California (9) and Alaska (8).
What national parks are in Colorado?
Colorado has 4 national parks: Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, and Rocky Mountain. Colorado ranks 4th with 4 parks.
Which states have 3 national parks?
Three states each have 3 national parks: Arizona (Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Saguaro), Florida (Biscayne, Dry Tortugas, Everglades), and Washington (Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Olympic). All three share the rank of 5th.
How many states have no national parks?
21 states have no national parks. They include New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Vermont, Alabama, Connecticut, and Delaware.

Methodology

Counts include only NPS units officially designated as national parks. Source: National Park Service, 2024.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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