List of areas in the United States National Park System
The National Park System of the United States is the collection of physical properties owned or administered by the National Park Service. The collection includes all [List of List of national parks of the United States|national parks of the United States|national parks] and most national monuments, as well as several other types of protected areas of the United States.
As of December 2024, there are units of the National Park System. However, this number is somewhat misleading. For example, Denali National Park and Preserve is counted as two units, since the same name applies to a national park and an adjacent national preserve. Yet Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is counted as one unit, despite its double designation. Counting methodology is typically based on the language of a park's authorizing legislation.
Although the designations generally reflect sites' features, all units of the system are considered administratively equal and with few exceptions the designations themselves do not define their level of protection. Each site has a management plan consistent with its ecological, historic, and recreational resources and its enabling legislation.
In addition to areas of the National Park System, the National Park Service also provides technical and financial assistance to several affiliated areas authorized by Congress. Affiliated areas are marked on the lists below.
National Park System units are found in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The territory of the Northern Mariana Islands has an affiliated area but not an official NPS unit.
Nearly all units managed by the National Park Service participate in the National Park Passport Stamps program.
National parks
There are 63 officially designated national parks in the United States and its dependent areas, as of 2021. The national parks are considered the "crown jewels" of the system and are typically larger than other areas, including a variety of significant ecological and geological resources.Former national parks
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
| Abraham Lincoln National Park | July 17, 1916 | August 11, 1939 | Redesignated as Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park |
| Fort McHenry National Park | March 3, 1925 | August 11, 1939 | Redesignated under the unique designation of Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine |
| General Grant National Park | October 1, 1890 | March 4, 1940 | Incorporated into Kings Canyon National Park |
| Hawaii National Park | August 1, 1916 | September 13, 1960 | Divided into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park |
| Mackinac National Park | April 15, 1875 | March 2, 1895 | Transferred to Michigan; now operated as Mackinac Island State Park |
| Platt National Park | June 29, 1906 | March 17, 1976 | Incorporated with Arbuckle Recreation Area and redesignated Chickasaw National Recreation Area |
| Rock Creek Park | September 27, 1890 | August 10, 1933 | Incorporated into National Capital Parks |
| Sullys Hill Park | April 27, 1904 | March 3, 1931 | Transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; now operated as White Horse Hill National Game Preserve |
National monuments
There are 138 national monuments, 89 of which are administered by the NPS and are listed below. Of these, 87 are NPS official units.The remaining 49 monuments are administered by five other federal agencies. Three, Grand Canyon–Parashant, Craters of the Moon, and Avi Kwa Ame National Monuments, are jointly administered by the NPS and the Bureau of Land Management, and Tule Lake National Monument is joint with the Fish and Wildlife Service. National monuments are typically smaller and protect just one or few major resources. They include both natural and historical sites and can be established by the president under the Antiquities Act. 34 former national monuments have been redesignated or incorporated into national parks.
Former national monuments
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
| Carlsbad Cave National Monument | October 5, 1923 | May 14, 1930 | Redesignated as Carlsbad Caverns National Park |
| Denali National Monument | December 1, 1978 | December 2, 1980 | Incorporated with Mount McKinley National Park and renamed Denali National Park and Preserve |
| Grand Canyon National Monument | January 11, 1908 | February 26, 1919 | Redesignated as Grand Canyon National Park |
| Grand Canyon National Monument | December 22, 1932 | January 3, 1975 | Abolished; lands transferred with Marble Canyon National Monument into an expansion of Grand Canyon National Park. |
| Marble Canyon National Monument | January 20, 1969 | January 3, 1975 | Abolished; lands transferred with Grand Canyon National Monument into an expansion of Grand Canyon National Park. |
| Kobuk Valley National Monument | December 1, 1978 | December 2, 1980 | Redesignated as Kobuk Valley National Park |
| Papago Saguaro National Monument | January 31, 1914 | April 7, 1930 | Transferred to Arizona; now jointly operated by the cities of Phoenix and Tempe |
| Pullman National Monument | February 19, 2015 | December 29, 2022 | Redesignated as Pullman National Historical Park |
| Lewis and Clark Cavern National Monument | May 11, 1908 | August 24, 1937 | Transferred to Montana; now operated as a state park |
| Kenai Fjords National Monument | December 1, 1978 | December 2, 1980 | Redesignated as Kenai Fjords National Park |
| Channel Islands National Monument | April 26, 1938 | March 5, 1980 | Redesignated as Channel Islands National Park |
| Father Millet Cross National Monument | August 10, 1933 | September 7, 1949 | Transferred to New York upon the closing of the adjacent military base; now operated part of Fort Niagara State Park |
| First State National Monument | March 25, 2013 | December 19, 2014 | Incorporated into First State National Historical Park |
| Lake Clark National Monument | December 1, 1978 | December 2, 1980 | Renamed Lake Clark National Park and Preserve |
| Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument | March 2, 1933 | October 21, 1999 | Redesignated as Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park |
| Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument | March 25, 2013 | December 19, 2014 | The National Park Service areas of this monument were incorporated into Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, and the National Park Service no longer recognizes their portions of the national monument as distinct from the national historical park. The remaining portions of Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument continue to be operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. |
| Mukuntuweap National Monument | July 31, 1909 | November 19, 1919 | Redesignated as Zion National Park |
| Zion National Monument | January 22, 1937 | July 11, 1956 | Incorporated into Zion National Park |
| Capitol Reef National Monument | August 2, 1937 | December 18, 1971 | Redesignated as Capitol Reef National Park |
| Arches National Monument | April 12, 1929 | November 12, 1971 | Redesignated as Arches National Park |
| Bryce Canyon National Monument | June 8, 1923 | February 25, 1928 | Redesignated as Bryce Canyon National Park |
| Wheeler National Monument | December 7, 1908 | August 3, 1950 | Returned to United States Forest Service |
| Holy Cross National Monument | May 11, 1929 | August 3, 1950 | Returned to United States Forest Service |
| White Sands National Monument | January 18, 1933 | December 20, 2019 | Redesignated as White Sands National Park |
| Jackson Hole National Monument | 1943 | September 14, 1950 | Merged into Grand Teton National Park |
| Shoshone Cavern National Monument | September 21, 1909 | May 17, 1954 | Transferred to Cody, Wyoming as a municipal attraction, and later returned to the Bureau of Land Management |
| Old Kasaan National Monument | October 25, 1916 | July 26, 1955 | Transferred to United States Forest Service |
| Castle Pinckney National Monument | August 10, 1933 | March 29, 1956 | Transferred to South Carolina, and later sold to the Sons of Confederate Veterans; site currently inaccessible and unmaintained |
| Saguaro National Monument | March 1, 1933 | October 4, 1994 | Redesignated as Saguaro National Park |
| Verendrye National Monument | June 29, 1917 | July 30, 1956 | Transferred to North Dakota after the construction of the Garrison Dam; site currently flooded by the reservoir Lake Sakakawea |
| Gates of the Arctic National Monument | December 1, 1978 | December 2, 1980 | Renamed Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve |
| Fossil Cycad National Monument | October 21, 1922 | August 1, 1956 | Transferred to Bureau of Land Management because of severe vandalism to the site |
| Death Valley National Monument | February 11, 1933 | October 31, 1994 | Redesignated as Death Valley National Park |
| Joshua Tree National Monument | August 10, 1936 | October 31, 1994 | Redesignated as Joshua Tree National Park |
| Ackia Battlefield National Monument | August 27, 1935 | August 10, 1961 | Incorporated into Natchez Trace Parkway |
| Meriwether Lewis National Monument | February 6, 1925 | August 10, 1961 | Incorporated into Natchez Trace Parkway |
| Katmai National Monument | September 24, 1918 | December 2, 1980 | Renamed Katmai National Park and Preserve |
| Mount Olympus National Monument | March 2, 1909 | June 29, 1938 | Redesignated as Olympic National Park |
| Petrified Forest National Monument | December 8, 1906 | December 9, 1962 | Redesignated as Petrified Forest National Park |
| Lehman Caves National Monument | June 10, 1933 | October 27, 1986 | Abolished; incorporated into Great Basin National Park |
| Congaree Swamp National Monument | October 18, 1976 | November 10, 2003 | Redesignated as Congaree National Park |
| Glacier Bay National Monument | February 25, 1925 | December 2, 1980 | Renamed Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve |
| Mound City Group National Monument | January 1, 1918 | January 2, 1992 | Incorporated into Hopewell Culture National Historical Park |
| Minidoka Internment National Monument | January 17, 2001 | May 8, 2008 | Redesignated as Minidoka National Historic Site |
| Pinnacles National Monument | January 16, 1908 | January 10, 2013 | Redesignated as Pinnacles National Park |
| Andrew Johnson National Monument | April 27, 1942 | December 11, 1963 | Redesignated as Andrew Johnson National Historic Site |
| Sieur de Monts National Monument | July 8, 1916 | February 26, 1919 | Redesignated as Lafayette National Park |
| Edison Laboratory National Monument | July 14, 1956 | September 5, 1962 | Combined with Edison Home National Historic Site into Edison National Historic Site, later redesignated Thomas Edison National Historical Park |
| Wrangell–St. Elias National Monument | December 1, 1978 | December 2, 1980 | Renamed Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve |
| Badlands National Monument | January 29, 1939 | November 10, 1978 | Redesignated as Badlands National Park |
| Great Sand Dunes National Monument | March 17, 1932 | September 14, 2004 | Renamed Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve |
| Biscayne National Monument | October 18, 1968 | June 28, 1980 | Redesignated as Biscayne National Park |
| Fort Jefferson National Monument | January 4, 1935 | October 26, 1992 | Redesignated as Dry Tortugas National Park |
| Cinder Cone National Monument | May 6, 1907 | August 9, 1916 | Merged with Lassen Peak National Monument and redesignated as Lassen Volcanic National Park |
| Lassen Peak National Monument | May 6, 1907 | August 9, 1916 | Merged with Cinder Cone National Monument and redesignated as Lassen Volcanic National Park |
| Homestead National Monument of America | March 19, 1936 | January 13, 2021 | Redesignated as Homestead National Historical Park |
National preserves
There are 21 national preserves in the United States, 19 of which are counted by the National Park System as official units. Ten are stand-alone official units, while eleven others are designated areas where hunting or grazing is permitted as part of a larger "national park and preserve" or "national monument and preserve". Nine of those are counted as separate units, while Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve and New River Gorge National Park and Preserve are single units. Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is not officially a national preserve but has similar management policies, while Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve is unrelated.National historical parks
There are 64 national historical parks.| Name | Status |
| Coltsville National Historical Park | Connecticut |
National historic sites
There are 85 national historic sites, of which 75 are NPS units, 9 are affiliated areas, and one, Grey Towers National Historic Site, is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.International historic site
| Name | Location | Area |
| Saint Croix Island International Historic Site | Maine / New Brunswick |
National battlefield parks
| Name | Location | Area |
| Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park | Georgia | |
| Manassas National Battlefield Park | Virginia | |
| Richmond National Battlefield Park | Virginia | |
| River Raisin National Battlefield Park | Michigan |
National military parks
National battlefields
National battlefield site
| Name | Location | Area |
| Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site | Mississippi |
National memorials
There are 31 national memorials that are NPS units and five affiliated national memorials.National recreation areas
There are 18 national recreation areas administered by the National Park Service. Another 22 national recreation areas are administered by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.National seashores
There are 10 national seashores.National lakeshores
There are three national lakeshores, located in Michigan and Wisconsin.| Name | Location | Area |
| Apostle Islands National Lakeshore | Wisconsin | |
| Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore | Michigan | |
| Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore | Michigan |
National rivers and national wild and scenic rivers
There are four national rivers and ten national wild and scenic rivers administered as distinct units of the National Park System. There are many more national wild and scenic rivers that run through other units.National reserves
National reserves are partnerships between federal, state, and local authorities. Within the boundaries of the three national reserves are combinations of federal land, state parks and forests, local public lands, and private properties. Two national reserves are currently managed as official units.| Name | Location | Area |
| City of Rocks National Reserve | Idaho | |
| Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve | Washington | |
| Pinelands National Reserve | New Jersey |
National parkways
Ten roadways and surrounding scenic areas are managed by the NPS as parkways, four of which as official units and five as part of other units.National historic and scenic trails
These National Park Service trails are part of the larger National Trails System. Only six of the trails are considered official units of the park system.National cemeteries
Most national cemeteries are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, although a few are managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Army. None of the cemeteries are considered official units of the system; they are all affiliated with other parks.National heritage areas
The National Park Service provides limited assistance to national heritage areas, but does not administer them.Other NPS protected areas and administrative groups
There are 11 NPS units of other designations, as well as other affiliated areas. The National Mall and National Capital Parks have many sites, some of which are also units of other designations.right to acquire land or have a say in land use or zoning. These include the 55 National Heritage Areas, as well as National Commemorative Sites such as Quindaro Townsite or the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site. There are also various administrative groups of listed parks, such as Manhattan Sites, National Parks of New York Harbor, and Western Arctic National Parklands. The NPS also owns conservation easements for part of the area called the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District.
Former other areas
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
| Appomattox Court House National Historical Monument | 1935 | 1954 | Redesignated Appomattox Court House National Historical Park; previously Appomattox National Battlefield Site |
| National Visitor Center, Washington, D.C. | March 12, 1968 | December 29, 1981 | Transferred to Department of Transportation |
| John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | June 16, 1972 | July 21, 1994 | Transferred to Kennedy Center Trustees |
| New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route | 1988 | September 30, 2011 | Multiple site agencies continue managing the route without NPS partnership |
In the 1930s and 1940s, the NPS developed dozens of recreational demonstration areas, most of which eventually became national or state parks.