The biggest U.S. national parks by gross acreage in the National Park Service's 2023 acreage report: seven of the ten are in Alaska, led by Wrangell-St. Elias at 8,323,146 acres.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska is the largest U.S. national park, at 8,323,146 acres. Gates of the Arctic National Park is second at 7,523,897 acres and Denali National Park third at 4,740,911 acres. The ranking uses gross area in acres from the National Park Service acreage report dated March 31, 2023, counting national park land only.
The largest U.S. national parks are not the most visited icons. They are enormous landscapes, mostly in Alaska, where a single park can cover more land than some states. This list ranks National Park Service units designated as national parks by gross area in acres, as of the NPS acreage report dated March 31, 2023. It is a size ranking, not a popularity ranking.
Wrangell-St. Elias is the giant of the National Park System, covering more than 8.3 million acres in Alaska. It is larger than several U.S. states.
Gates of the Arctic is a roadless Arctic wilderness north of the Arctic Circle. Its 7.5 million acres make it the second-largest U.S. national park.
Denali protects the highest peak in North America and a vast interior Alaska landscape. It ranks third by acreage among U.S. national parks.
Katmai is known for brown bears and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Its protected area covers more than 3.6 million acres.
Death Valley is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. It spans desert basins, salt flats, mountains, and canyons across California and Nevada.
Glacier Bay protects a huge coastal wilderness of glaciers, fjords, rainforest, and marine waters in southeast Alaska.
Lake Clark combines volcanoes, turquoise lakes, salmon streams, and rugged Alaska wilderness over more than 2.6 million acres.
Yellowstone is the oldest U.S. national park and one of the largest outside Alaska. It spans Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
Kobuk Valley protects Arctic sand dunes, caribou migration routes, and remote river country in northwest Alaska.
Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and the tenth-largest national park by acreage.
| # | Name | State | Established | Approx. square miles | Notable landscape |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | Alaska | 1980 | 13005 | Mountains and glaciers |
| 2 | Gates of the Arctic National Park | Alaska | 1980 | 11756 | Brooks Range wilderness |
| 3 | Denali National Park | Alaska | 1917 | 7408 | Denali and Alaska Range |
| 4 | Katmai National Park | Alaska | 1980 | 5741 | Volcanic valleys and salmon rivers |
| 5 | Death Valley National Park | California and Nevada | 1994 | 5326 | Desert basins |
| 6 | Glacier Bay National Park | Alaska | 1980 | 5037 | Glaciers and fjords |
| 7 | Lake Clark National Park | Alaska | 1980 | 4093 | Lakes and volcanoes |
| 8 | Yellowstone National Park | Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho | 1872 | 3468 | Geysers and volcanic plateau |
| 9 | Kobuk Valley National Park | Alaska | 1980 | 2735 | Arctic dunes |
| 10 | Everglades National Park | Florida | 1934 (authorized; dedicated 1947) | 2358 | Wetlands and mangroves |
Parks are ranked by gross area in acres from the National Park Service Land Resources Division acreage report dated March 31, 2023 ("Gross Area Acres", Listing of Acreage sheet), as tabulated in Wikipedia's List of national parks of the United States. Figures are rounded to the nearest acre; square miles are acres divided by 640. Only units designated as national parks are included. Where a park is paired with a national preserve (for example Wrangell-St. Elias, Gates of the Arctic, Denali, Katmai and Lake Clark), only the national park portion is counted; the preserve acreage is excluded. Establishment years are the dates given in the same Wikipedia table.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska is the largest U.S. national park, at 8,323,146 gross acres in the NPS acreage report dated March 31, 2023.
Death Valley National Park, in California and Nevada, is the largest national park in the contiguous United States at 3,408,396 acres.
Alaska has enormous public-land wilderness areas, and several major Alaska parks were established or expanded under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980.
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