List of National Parks By Size

When it comes to National Parks in America, size matters! From the massive 13-million-acre Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska, to the tiny Gateway Arch in Missouri, National Parks come in all shapes and sizes.

Some parks can be explored within an afternoon, while others are so large it would take more than a lifetime to experience it all!

In this article we’ll give you a list of National Parks sorted by size and share some interesting facts about each one. So strap on your hiking boots and let’s explore!

List of National Parks ranked by size (Largest to Smallest)

Rank	National Park	State	Size (acres)	Size (sq miles)
1	Wrangell-St. Elias	Alaska	13,175,799	20,587
2	Gates of the Arctic	Alaska	8,472,506	13,238
3	Denali	Alaska	6,045,153	9,446
4	Katmai	Alaska	4,093,077	6,395
5	Lake Clark	Alaska	4,030,015	6,297
6	Death Valley	California, Nevada	3,372,402	5,269
7	Glacier Bay	Alaska	3,223,384	5,037
8	Yellowstone	Wyoming, Montana	2,221,766	3,472
9	Kobuk Valley	Alaska	1,750,716	2,735
10	Everglades	Florida	1,508,537	2,357
11	Grand Canyon	Arizona	1,218,375	1,904
12	Glacier	Montana	1,012,837	1,583
13	Olympic	Washington	922,650	1,442
14	Big Bend	Texas	801,163	1,252
15	Joshua Tree	California	795,156	1,242
16	Yosemite	California	759,620	1,187
17	Kenai Fjords	Alaska	669,984	1,047
18	Isle Royale	Michigan	571,520	893
19	Great Smoky Mountains	Tennessee	522,427	816
20	North Cascades	Washington	504,781	789
21	Kings Canyon	California	461,901	722
22	Sequoia	California	404,063	631
23	Canyonlands	Utah	337,598	527
24	Hawaii Volcanoes	Hawaii	323,431	505
25	Grand Teton	Wyoming	310,000	485
26	Rocky Mountain	Colorado	265,461	415
27	Channel Islands	California	249,561	390
28	Badlands	South Dakota	242,756	379
29	Capitol Reef	Utah	241,904	377
30	Mount Rainier	Washington	236,381	369
31	Petrified Forest	Arizona	221,391	346
32	Voyageurs	Minnesota	218,055	341
33	Shenandoah	Virginia	196,000	306
34	Crater Lake	Oregon	183,224	286
35	Biscayne	Florida	172,971	270
36	Great Sand Dunes	Colorado	149,028	233
37	Zion	Utah	146,597	229
38	White Sands	New Mexico	145,762	228
39	Redwood	California	131,983	206
40	Lassen Volcanic	California	106,452	166
41	Saguaro	Arizona	91,327	143
42	Guadalupe Mountains	Texas	86,367	135
43	Great Basin	Nevada	77,180	121
44	Arches	Utah	76,519	119
45	New River Gorge	West Virginia	72,808	114
46	Theodore Roosevelt	North Dakota	70,446	110
47	Dry Tortugas	Florida	64,701	101
48	Mammoth Cave	Kentucky	52,830	83
49	Mesa Verde	Colorado	52,485	82
50	Acadia	Maine	49,075	76
51	Carlsbad Caverns	New Mexico	46,766	73
52	Bryce Canyon	Utah	35,835	56
53	Wind Cave	South Dakota	33,847	53
54	Haleakala	Hawaii	33,265	52
55	Cuyahoga Valley	Ohio	32,572	51
56	Black Canyon of the Gunnison	Colorado	30,750	48
57	Congaree	South Carolina	26,692	42
58	Pinnacles	California	26,606	42
59	Indiana Dunes	Indiana	15,349	24
60	Virgin Islands	Virgin Islands US	14,737	23
61	American Samoa	American Samoa	8,257	13
62	Hot Springs	Arkansas	5,550	9
63	Gateway Arch	Missouri	91	0.14

What is the largest National Park in the lower 48?

The largest National Park outside of Alaska is Death Valley National Park, located in California and Nevada. It spans 3.4 million acres and has almost 1,000 miles of roads to travel. 93% of the park is designated wilderness area.

End-to-end, Death Valley is about 140 miles long and 15 miles wide.

What is the smallest National Park?

The smallest national park in the United States is Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri. This park only covers 91 acres of land, and most visitors only spend about one hour exploring the park.

Gateway Arch has no hiking trails and consists of a small museum, open field, and the arch itself. The tram ride to the top of the arch only takes about 4-minutes.

What is the largest National Park in America?

Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest park and preserve combined which includes 13,175,799.07 acres total. Of that, the National Park itself covers 8,323,147.59 acres and the preserve covers 4,852,652.14 acres.

Biggest and smallest parks by state

Alaska

1. Wrangell-St. Elias: 13,175,799 acres (20,587 sq mi)
2. Gates of the Arctic: 8,472,506 acres (13,238 sq mi)
3. Denali: 6,045,153 acres (9,446 sq mi)
4. Katmai: 4,093,077 acres (6,395 sq mi)
5. Lake Clark: 4,030,015 acres (6,297 sq mi)
6. Glacier Bay: 3,223,384 acres (5,037 sq mi)
7. Kobuk Valley: 1,750,716 acres (2,735 sq mi)
8. Kenai Fjords: 669,984 acres (1,047 sq mi)

Arizona

Grand Canyon is the largest National Park in Arizona and Saguaro is the smallest.

1. Grand Canyon: 1,218,375 acres (1,904 sq mi)
2. Petrified Forest: 221,391 acres (346 sq mi)
3. Saguaro: 91,327 acres (143 sq mi)

California

Death Valley is the largest National Park in California and Pinnacles is the smallest.

1. Death Valley: 3,372,402 acres (5,269 sq mi)
2. Joshua Tree: 795,156 acres (1,242 sq mi)
3. Yosemite: 759,620 acres (1,187 sq mi)
4. Kings Canyon: 461,901 acres (722 sq mi)
5. Sequoia: 404,063 acres (631 sq mi)
6. Channel Islands: 249,561 acres (390 sq mi)
7. Redwood: 131,983 acres (206 sq mi)
8. Lassen Volcanic: 106,452 acres (166 sq mi)
9. Pinnacles: 26,606 acres (42 sq mi)

Colorado

Rocky Mountain is the largest National Park in Colorado and Black Canyon of the Gunnison is the smallest.

1. Rocky Mountain: 265,461 acres (415 sq mi)
2. Great Sand Dunes: 149,028 acres (233 sq mi)
3. Mesa Verde: 52,485 acres (82 sq mi)
4. Black Canyon of the Gunnison: 30,750 acres (48 sq mi)

Florida

1. Everglades: 1,508,537 acres (2,357 sq mi)
2. Biscayne: 172,971 acres (270 sq mi)
3. Dry Tortugas: 64,701 acres (101 sq mi)

Hawaii

1. Hawai’i Volcanoes: 323,431 acres (505 sq mi)
2. Haleakala: 33,265 acres (52 sq mi)

Montana

1. Yellowstone: 2,221,766 acres (3,472 sq mi)
2. Glacier: 1,012,837 acres (1,583 sq mi)

Nevada

1. Death Valley: 3,372,402 acres (5,269 sq mi)
2. Great Basin: 77,180 acres (121 sq mi)

New Mexico

1. White Sands: 145,762 acres (228 sq mi)
2. Carlsbad Caverns: 46,766 acres (73 sq mi)

South Dakota

1. Badlands: 242,756 acres (379 sq mi)
2. Wind Cave: 33,847 acres (53 sq mi)

Texas

1. Big Bend: 801,163 acres (1,252 sq mi)
2. Guadalupe Mountains: 86,367 acres (135 sq mi)

Utah

Canyonlands is the largest National Park in Utah and Bryce Canyon is the smallest.

1. Canyonlands: 337,598 acres (527 sq mi)
2. Capitol Reef: 241,904 acres (377 sq mi)
3. Zion: 146,597 acres (229 sq mi)
4. Arches: 76,519 acres (119 sq mi)
5. Bryce Canyon: 35,835 acres (56 sq mi)

Washington

1. Olympic: 922,650 acres (1,442 sq mi)
2. North Cascades: 504,781 acres (789 sq mi)
3. Mount Rainier: 236,381 acres (369 sq mi)

Wyoming

1. Yellowstone: 2,221,766 acres (3,472 sq mi)
2. Grand Teton: 310,000 acres (485 sq mi)

Quick facts

That’s A Wrap!

We’ve stumbled our way through national parks big and small, so don’t forget to get out and explore one near you! Whether it’s a sunny day in Death Valley or an afternoon spent under the Gateway Arch, America’s National parks offer something for everyone.

Happy exploring!