U.S. National Parks by State

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• Tips for Visiting National Parks

Arizona National Parks

1. Butterfield Overland MO, AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ, CA In 1857, businessman and transportation entrepreneur John Butterfield was awarded a contract to establish an overland mail route between the eastern United States and growing populations in the Far West. What became known as the Butterfield Overland Trail made an arcing sweep across the southern rim of the country. Stagecoaches left twice a week carrying passengers, freight, and mail.
2. Canyon de Chelly Chinle, AZ This canyon is home to Dine’ families who raise livestock, farm lands, and live here. People have lived in these canyons for nearly 5,000 years, which is longer than anyone has lived continuously on the Colorado Plateau. In this place called Tsegi, their homes and images tell us their stories. Today, the park and Navajo Nation work together to manage the rich cultural and natural resources.
3. Casa Grande Ruins Coolidge, AZ An Ancestral Sonoran Desert People’s farming community and “Great House” are preserved at Casa Grande Ruins. Whether a gathering place for people or simply a waypoint marker in an extensive system of canals and trading partners, the structures are a large part of the story of this site. Explore the history and stories of an extended network of communities and irrigation canals.
4. Chiricahua Willcox, AZ Explore the pinnacles, spires, and balanced rocks that originated 27 million years ago by a massive volcanic eruption. Hike within these formations that help protect the exceptional biodiversity of the sky islands region. Connect with the human history spanning thousands of years, encompassing prehistoric indigenous peoples, Chiricahua Apaches, Buffalo Soldiers, ranchers, CCC, and visitors today.
5. Coronado Hereford, AZ It was a journey of conquest filled with exploration, wonder – and cruelty. Inspired by tales of vast cities of gold, 339 European soldiers and hundreds of Aztec allies embarked on an epic journey through arid deserts and rugged mountains. They encountered rich traditions and brought new technologies. The resulting collision and combination of cultures reverberates today.
6. Fort Bowie Willcox, AZ Fort Bowie witnessed almost 25 years of conflict between the Chiricahua Apache and the US Army, and remains a tangible connection to the turbulent era of the late 1800s. Explore the history of Fort Bowie and Apache Pass as you hike to the visitor center and old fort ruins. Today, this peaceful landscape stands in stark contrast to the violence that once gripped this land.
7. Glen Canyon Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZ,UT Encompassing over 1.25 million acres, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area offers unparalleled opportunities for water-based & backcountry recreation. The recreation area stretches for hundreds of miles from Lees Ferry in Arizona to the Orange Cliffs of southern Utah, encompassing scenic vistas, geologic wonders, and a vast panorama of human history.
8. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon, AZ Entirely within the state of Arizona, the park encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homelands of 11 present day Tribal Communities, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—a mile deep canyon unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors from both north and south rims.
9. Grand Canyon-Parashant Northern Arizona, AZ Despite the hardships created by rugged isolation and the lack of natural waters, Parashant has a long human history spanning more than 11,000 years, and an equally rich geologic history spanning almost two billion years. Full of natural splendor and a sense of solitude, this area remains remote and unspoiled, qualities that are essential to the protection of its scientific and historic resources.
10. Hubbell Trading Post Ganado, AZ Wóshde´e´, please come in where the squeaky wooden floors greet your entry into the oldest operating Trading Post on the Navajo Nation. As your eyes adjust to the dim light in the “bullpen”, you’ll find you’ve just entered a mercantile. Hubbell’s in Ganado has been selling goods and trading Native American Art since 1878. Discover Hubbell Trading Post NHS, sheep, rugs, jewelry and so much more…
11. Juan Bautista de Anza Nogales, AZ to San Francisco, CA, AZ,CA The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail covers over 1200 miles through the homelands of 70+ Tribal communities. It follows the historic route of the 1775-76 Spanish colonizing expedition from Sonora, Mexico to San Francisco, CA. Whether urban or rural, the trail offers adventure, diverse cultural perspectives, and an opportunity to experience history.
12. Lake Mead the Mojave Desert, AZ,NV Experience outdoor thrills amongst striking landscapes and brilliant blue waters. Hike, swim, boat, cycle, camp, fish, volunteer, and learn! This year-round national park spreads across 1.5 million acres of mountains, canyons, valleys and two vast lakes. Just a stone’s throw from the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, this extraordinary playground beckons with a symphony of possibilities.
13. Montezuma Castle Camp Verde, AZ Established December 8, 1906, Montezuma Castle is the third National Monument dedicated to preserving Native American culture. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a story of ingenuity, survival and ultimately, prosperity in an unforgiving desert landscape.
14. Navajo Black Mesa, AZ The Hopi, San Juan Southern Paiute, Zuni, and Navajo people have inhabited the canyons for centuries. Springs fed into farmlands on the canyon floor and homes were built in the natural sandstone alcoves. The cliff dwellings of Betatakin, Keet Seel, and Inscription House were last physically occupied around 1300 AD but the villages have a spiritual presence that can still be felt today.
15. Old Spanish AZ,CA,CO,NV,NM,UT Follow the routes of mule pack trains across the Southwest on the Old Spanish National Historic Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Los Angeles, California. New Mexican traders moved locally produced merchandise across what are now six states to exchange for mules and horses.
16. Organ Pipe Cactus Ajo, AZ Look closely. Look again. The sights and sounds of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, an International Biosphere Reserve, reveal a thriving community of plants and animals. Human stories echo throughout the Sonoran Desert, chronicling thousands of years of desert living. A wilderness hike, a scenic drive, or a night of camping will expose you to a living desert abounding with hidden life.
17. Petrified Forest Petrified Forest National Park, AZ Park Hours: 8am to 6pm, MST. Don’t forget that Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings. Petrified Forest is best known for its Triassic fossils. It’s like having two parks in one, an ecosystem over 200 million years old with plants and animals now represented in the surreal landscape of the Painted Desert. There is also a living park with its own denizens adapted to a demanding environment.
18. Pipe Spring Fredonia, AZ The rich history of Pipe Spring and its flowing water comes alive as you explore the traditions of the Kaibab Paiute and the Mormon settlers through the museum, historic fort, cabins, and garden. Hike the Ridge Trail to enjoy geologic wonders, plants, and wildlife. Attend living history demonstrations and talks and be sure to visit with our amazing ranch animals!
19. Saguaro Tucson, AZ Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation’s largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of a magnificent desert sunset.
20. Sunset Crater Volcano Flagstaff, AZ The lava flow lies on the land like a dream, a wonderland of rock. A thousand years ago the ground was torn open and lava erupted into the sky, forever changing the landscape and the lives of the people who lived here. A thousand years later, trees and flowers grow among the rocks, and people visit the lava flow to see and remember the most recent volcanic eruption in Arizona.
21. Tonto Roosevelt, AZ The Salado Phenomena, 700 years ago, blended ideas of neighboring Native American cultures to emerge a unique and vibrant society. Tonto National Monument showcases two Salado-style cliff dwellings. Colorful pottery, woven cotton cloth, and other artifacts tell a story of people living and using resources from the northern Sonoran Desert from 1250 to 1450 CE.
22. Tumacácori Tumacácori, AZ Tumacácori sits at a cultural crossroads in the Santa Cruz River valley. Here O’odham, Yaqui, and Apache people met and mingled with European Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, settlers, and soldiers, sometimes in conflict and sometimes in cooperation. Follow the timeworn paths and discover stories that connect us to enduring relationships, vibrant cultures, and traditions of long ago.
23. Tuzigoot Clarkdale, AZ Water flows under and through this landscape, feeding the growth of people and towns. The Verde Valley is watered by snowmelt, summer monsoons, and springs that well up from the ancient sedimentary rocks. In the heart of the valley, a thousand years ago, people began to build a little hilltop pueblo that would grow into one of the largest villages in the area.
24. Walnut Canyon Flagstaff, AZ Since time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have lived and traveled throughout Walnut Canyon’s dynamic landscape. Vibrant communities built their homes in the cliffs and farmed along the canyon’s rim. Today the park preserves this landscape, and the ancestral homes in and around the canyon.
25. Wupatki Flagstaff, AZ Nestled between the Painted Desert and ponderosa highlands of northern Arizona, Wupatki National Monument is an unlikely landscape for a thriving community. The early 1100’s marked a time of cooler and wetter weather, when the ancestors of contemporary Pueblo communities created a bustling center of trade and culture. For indigenous peoples, these sites represent the footprints of their ancestors.

California National Parks

1. Alcatraz Island (@AlcatrazIsland) The Rock, originally an army fort and prison (1850 to 1934), for 29 years it was the famous penitentiary before being occupied by American Indians in 1969. nps.gov/alcatraz
2. Cabrillo
3. California
4. César E. Chávez
5. Channel Islands: @CHISNPS Official Twitter source for Channel Islands National Park. nps.gov/chis
6. Death Valley
7. Devils Postpile
8. Eugene O’Neill
9. Fort Point
10. Golden Gate
11. John Muir
12. Joshua Tree (Full Guide to Joshua Tree) National Park California Two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in Joshua Tree National Park. A fascinating variety of plants and animals make their homes in a land sculpted by strong winds and occasional torrents of rain. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the wonder of this vast wilderness in southern California. Come explore for yourself.
13. Juan Bautista de Anza
14. Lassen Volcanic
15. Lava Beds
16. Manzanar
17. Mojave
18. Muir Woods
19. Old Spanish
20. Pinnacles
21. Point Reyes
22. Pony Express
23. Port Chicago Naval Magazine
24. Presidio of San Francisco
25. Redwood
26. Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front
27. Santa Monica Mountains
28. San Francisco Maritime
29. Sequoia & Kings Canyon
30. Whiskeytown
31. World War II Valor in the Pacific
32. Yosemite

Massachusetts National Parks / Top Massachusetts Field Trips

1. Adams National Historical Park Quincy, MA: http://www.nps.gov/adam/index.htm From the sweet little farm at the foot of Penn’s Hill to the gentleman’s country estate at Peace field, Adams National Historical Park is the story of “heroes, statesman, philosophers … and learned women” whose ideas and actions helped to transform thirteen disparate colonies into one united nation.
2. Appalachian National Scenic Trail CT,GA,MA,MD,ME,NC,NH,NJ,NY,PA,TN,VA,VT,WV: http://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm The Appalachian Trail is a 2,180+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.
3. Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor RI, MA: http://www.nps.gov/blac/index.htm The Blackstone River runs from Worcester, MA to Providence, RI. Its waters powered the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI, America’s first successful cotton spinning mill. This creative spark began the nation’s transformation from Farm to Factory. Today, the Blackstone River Valley is a special type of National Park – a living landscape containing thousands of natural and historic treasures.
4. Boston National Historical Park (@bostonNHP) Boston, MA : http://www.nps.gov/bost/index.htm The Blackstone River powered America’s entry into the Age of Industry. The success of Samuel Slater’s cotton spinning mill in Pawtucket, RI touched off a chain reaction that changed how people worked and where they lived, and continues to reverberate across the nation to this day. Come visit and see how this revolution transformed the landscape of the Blackstone Valley and then the United States.
5. Boston: Boston, MA https://www.nps.gov/bost/index.htm Discover how one city could be the Cradle of Liberty, site of the first major battle of American Revolution, and home to many who espoused that freedom can be extended to all.
6. Boston African American National Historical Site (@BOAFNPS) Boston, MA: http://www.nps.gov/boaf/index.htm Centered on the north slope of Beacon Hill, the African American community of 19th century Boston led the city and the nation in the fight against slavery and injustice. These remarkable men and women, together with their allies, were leaders in Abolition Movement, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and the early struggle for equal rights and education.
7. Boston Harbor Islands (@34islandsboston) Boston, MA: http://www.nps.gov/boha/index.htm . . . where you can walk a Civil War-era fort, visit historic lighthouses, explore tide pools, hike lush trails, camp under the stars, or relax while fishing, picnicking or swimming-all within reach of downtown Boston. Youth programs, visitor services, research, wildlife management, and more are coordinated on the park’s 34 islands and peninsulas by the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership
8. Cape Cod National Seashore (@CapeCodNPS) Wellfleet, MA: http://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm The great Outer Beach described by Thoreau in the 1800s is protected within the national seashore. Forty miles of pristine sandy beach, marshes, ponds, and uplands support diverse species. Lighthouses, cultural landscapes, and wild cranberry bogs offer a glimpse of Cape Cod’s past and continuing ways of life. Swimming beaches and walking and biking trails beckon today’s visitors.
9. Essex Essex County, MA: http://www.nps.gov/esse/index.htm The Essex National Heritage Area begins just 10 miles north of Boston and covers 500 square miles of eastern Massachusetts to the New Hampshire border. The Area includes hundreds of historical sites, miles of intact landscapes, glistening coastal regions and lifetimes of rich experiences that chronicle the history of our region and of our nation.
10. Frederick Law Olmsted Brookline, MA: http://www.nps.gov/frla/index.htm Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) is recognized as the founder of American landscape architecture and the nation’s foremost parkmaker. Olmsted moved his home to suburban Boston in 1883 and established the world’s first full-scale professional office for the practice of landscape design. During the next century, his sons and successors perpetuated Olmsted’s design ideals, philosophy, and influence.
11. John Fitzgerald Kennedy Brookline, MA: http://www.nps.gov/jofi/index.htm n 1966, Rose Kennedy, the President’s mother returned to her family’s first home and birthplace of John F. Kennedy with the intention of sharing the values and expectations she believed defined her children’s early years. Today, visitors travel back in time through Mrs. Kennedy’s memories to understand the Kennedy family’s early years and how she helped Americans memorialize John Kennedy.
12. Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters Cambridge, MA: http://www.nps.gov/long/index.htm Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site preserves the home of Henry W. Longfellow, one of the world’s foremost 19th century poets. The house also served as headquarters for General George Washington during the Siege of Boston, July 1775 – April 1776. In addition to its rich history, the site offers unique opportunities to explore 19th century literature and arts.
13. Lowell (@Lowell_NPS) Lowell, MA: http://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm Discover the continuing revolution. Lowell’s water-powered textile mills catapulted the nation – including immigrant families and early female factory workers – into an uncertain new industrial era. Nearly 200 years later, the changes that began here still reverberate in our shifting global economy. Explore Lowell, a living monument to the dynamic human story of the Industrial Revolution.
14. Minute Man Concord, Lincoln, Lexington, MA: http://www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm At Minute Man National Historical Park the opening battle of the Revolution is brought to life as visitors explore the battlefields and structures associated with April 19, 1775, and witness the American revolutionary spirit through the writings of the Concord authors.
15. New Bedford Whaling (@nebe_interp) New Bedford: http://www.nps.gov/nebe/index.htm “The town itself is perhaps the dearest place to live in, in all New England..nowhere in all America will you find more patrician-like houses, parks and gardens more opulent, than in New Bedford…all these brave houses and flowery gardens came from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. One and all, they were harpooned and dragged up hither from the bottom of the sea.” H. Melville, “Moby-Dick” Web Rangers Activity: New Bedford Whaling Ship
16. New England https://www.nps.gov/neen/index.htm: From the Sound to the Summits: the New England Trail covers 215 miles from Long Island Sound across long ridges to scenic mountain summits in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The trail offers panoramic vistas and close-ups of New England’s natural and cultural landscape: traprock ridges, historic village centers, farmlands, unfragmented forests, quiet streams, steep river valleys and waterfalls.
17. Salem Maritime (@SalemMartimeNPS) Salem, MA: http://www.nps.gov/sama/index.htm When the United States was young, ships from Salem, Massachusetts helped to build the new nation’s economy by carrying cargo back and forth from the West to Asia. The historic buildings, wharves, and reconstructed tall ship at this nine-acre National Park tell the stories of the sailors, Revolutionary War privateers, and merchants who brought the riches of the world to America
18. Saugus Iron Works: http://www.nps.gov/sair/index.htm In the 1600’s, on the banks of the Saugus River, something extraordinary happened. Explore the place where European iron makers brought their special skills to a young Massachusetts colony. This nine-acre National Park includes working waterwheels, hot forges, mills, an historic 17th century home and a lush river basin.
19. Springfield Armory: http://www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm For nearly two centuries, the US Armed Forces and American industry looked to Springfield Armory for innovative engineering and superior firearms. Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates the critical role of the nation’s first armory by preserving and interpreting the world’s largest historic US military small arms collection, along with historic archives, buildings, and landscapes.
20. Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail: http://www.nps.gov/waro/index.htm In 1781, General Rochambeau’s French Army joined forces with General Washington’s Continental Army to fight the British Army in Yorktown, Virginia. With the French Navy in support, the allied armies moved hundreds of miles to become the largest troop movement of the American Revolution. The effort and cooperation between the two sides led to a victory at Yorktown and secured American independence.
21. Oregon
22. Lewis and Clark
23. Nebraska
24. Lewis and Clark: @LewisClarkTrail Official Twitter source for Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail of the National Park Service. Omaha, Nebraska nps.gov/lecl
25. Alabama National Parks
26. Horseshoe Bend (@NatlParkService) Daviston, AL: On 27 March 1814, Major General Andrew Jackson ‘s army of 3,300 men attacked Chief Menawa’s 1,000 Red Stick Creek warriors fortified in a horseshoe shaped bend of the Tallapoosa River. Over 800 Red Sticks died that day. The battle ended the Creek War, resulted in a land cession of 23,000,000 acres to the United States and created a national hero of Andrew Jackson.
27. Little River Canyon (@LIRI_NPS_Fire) Fort Payne, AL: Little River is unique because it flows for most of its length atop Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama. Forested uplands, waterfalls, canyon rims and bluffs, pools, boulders, and sandstone cliffs offer settings for a variety of recreational activities. Natural resources and cultural heritage come together to tell the story of the Preserve, a special place in the Southern Appalachians.
28. Muscle Shoals (@NatlParkService) The Tennessee River brought the early Native Americans and then the European settlers. For years, it frustrated those who tried to cross it or tame it. Men fought from its banks and others found power from its waters. It created a culture. It shaped a region. The region’s sites, buildings, and relics whisper tales of some of the nation’s biggest moments and how the river played a role in each.
29. Natchez Trace (@NezPerceNP) the states of, AL,MS,TN: The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery and 10,000 years of North American history. Used by American Indians, “Kaintucks,” settlers, and future presidents, the Old Trace played an important role in American history. Today, visitors can enjoy not only a scenic drive but also hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping.
30. Russell Cave (@RussellCaveNPS) Bridgeport, AL: Russell Cave is an archaeological site with one of the most complete records of prehistoric cultures in the Southeast. Thousands of years ago a portion of Russell Cave’s entrance collapsed, creating a shelter that, for more than 10,000 years, was home to prehistoric peoples. Today it provides clues to the daily lifeways of early North American inhabitants dating from 10,000 B.C. to 1650 A.D.
31. Selma To Montgomery (@NatlParkService) Montgomery, Lowndes & Dallas Counties, AL: On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which extended equal voting rights for African-Americans. As both White and Black non-violent supporters led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the right to vote in Central Alabama, today, you can trace their march toward freedom on the 54-mile trail and connect with their stories at the Interpretive Centers.
32. Trail Of Tears (@NatlParkService) AL,AR,GA,IL,KY,MO,NC,OK,TN Remember and commemorate the survival of the Cherokee people, forcefully removed from their homelands in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee to live in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. They traveled by foot, horse, wagon, or steamboat in 1838-1839.
33. Tuskegee Airmen (@NatlParkService) Tuskegee, AL Before the first African American military pilots became known as the “Red Tails” they wore striped tails as they began their flight training in the Army’s PT-17 Stearman bi-plane. Their flying adventure started at Moton Field, in Tuskegee, Alabama, where the Army Air Corps began a military “experiment” to see if Negroes could be trained to fly combat aircraft. Come–share their adventure!!
34. Tuskegee Institute (@NatlParkService) Tuskegee Institute, AL: In 1881, Booker T. Washington arrived in Alabama and started building Tuskegee Institute both in reputation and literally brick by brick. He recruited the best and the brightest to come and teach here including George Washington Carver who arrived in 1896. Carver’s innovations in agriculture, especially with peanuts, expanded Tuskegee’s standing throughout the country. The story continues….
35. Alaska National Parks
36. Alagnak King Salmon, AK The headwaters of Alagnak Wild River lie within the rugged Aleutian Range of neighboring Katmai National Park and Preserve. Meandering west towards Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea, the Alagnak traverses the beautiful Alaska Peninsula, providing an unparalleled opportunity to experience the unique wilderness, wildlife, and cultural heritage of southwest Alaska.
37. Alaska Public Lands Anchorage, AK Alaska’s parks, forests, and refuges are rich and varied. The Alaska Public Lands Information Centers help visitors and residents to have meaningful, safe, enjoyable experiences on public lands, and encourages them to sustain the natural and cultural resources of Alaska. These centers provide trip-planning, interpretation, and education for all ages.
38. Aleutian Islands World War II Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, AK The remote Aleutian Islands, home to the Unangax^ (Aleut) people for over 8,000 years, became a fiercely contested Pacific battleground in World War II. Some Unangax^ were taken from their homelands as Japanese prisoners of war while the others were evacuated from the islands by the government. Both groups suffered greatly during the war, and some would never return to their villages.
39. Aniakchak King Salmon, AK Given its remote location and challenging weather conditions, Aniakchak is one of the most wild and least visited places in the National Park System. This landscape is a vibrant reminder of Alaska’s location in the volcanically active “Ring of Fire,” as it is home to an impressive six mile (10 km) wide, 2,500 ft (762 m) deep caldera formed during a massive volcanic eruption 3,500 years ago.
40. Bering Land Bridge Nome, AK Bering Land Bridge National Preserve lies at the continental crossroad that greatly influenced the distribution of life in the Western Hemisphere during the Pleistocene Epoch. It is a vital landscape for Indigenous communities who depend on the land just as their ancestors did for many generations. It is a wild and ecologically healthy landscape unlike any other.
41. Cape Krusenstern Kotzebue, AK A bridge to the past and a land for the future, Cape Krusenstern National Monument protects approximately 560,000 acres of diverse Arctic coastal, and upland ecosystems. Inhabited by the Iñupiaq people since time-immemorial, over 5,000 years of sequential human use is documented in the 114 successive beach ridges. Rich connections to the land and waters are preserved through subsistence practices.
42. Denali Denali Park, AK Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America’s tallest peak, 20,310′ Denali. Wild animals large and small roam un-fenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility and wilderness await.
43. Gates Of The Arctic Bettles, AK This vast landscape does not contain any roads or trails. Visitors discover intact ecosystems where people have lived with the land for over ten thousand years. Wild rivers meander through glacier-carved valleys, caribou migrate along age-old trails, endless summer light fades into aurora-lit night skies of winter. Virtually unchanged, except by the forces of nature.
44. Glacier Bay Gustavus, AK Covering 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, dynamic glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coastlines and deep sheltered fjords, Glacier Bay National Park is a highlight of Alaska’s Inside Passage and part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site—one of the world’s largest international protected areas. From sea to summit, Glacier Bay offers limitless opportunities for adventure and inspiration.
45. Iñupiat Heritage Center Barrow , AK On the rooftop of the world, the Iñupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska, tells the story of the Iñupiat people. They have thrived for thousands of years in one of the most extreme climates on Earth, hunting the bowhead, or “Agviq.” In the 19th century, the quiet northern seas swarmed with commercial whalemen from New England, who also sought the bowhead for its valuable baleen and blubber.
46. Katmai King Salmon, AK A landscape is alive underneath our feet, filled with creatures that remind us what it is to be wild. Katmai was established in 1918 to protect the volcanically devastated region surrounding Novarupta and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Today, Katmai National Park and Preserve also protects 9,000 years of human history and important habitat for salmon and thousands of brown bears.
47. Kenai Fjords Seward, AK At the edge of the Kenai Peninsula lies a land where the ice age lingers. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords’ crowning feature. Wildlife thrives in icy waters and lush forests along the fjords once carved by the vast expanse of ice. Today, shrinking glaciers bear witness to the effects of our changing climate.
48. Klondike Gold Rush Skagway, AK Headlines screamed “Gold!” The dream of a better life catapulted thousands of people to Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Their journey shaped them, and changed the people they encountered and the north forever. Today, the park remembers the trails, boomtowns, and stories of the Klondike Gold Rush.
49. Kobuk Valley Kotzebue, AK Caribou, sand dunes, the Kobuk River, Onion Portage – just some of the facets of Kobuk Valley National Park. Thousands of caribou migrate through, their tracks crisscrossing sculpted dunes. The Kobuk River is an ancient and current corridor for people and wildlife. For 9000 years, people came to Onion Portage to harvest caribou as they swam the river. Even today, that rich tradition continues.
50. Lake Clark Port Alsworth, AK Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is a land of stunning beauty. Volcanoes steam, salmon run, bears forage, and craggy mountains reflect in shimmering turquoise lakes. Here, too, local people and culture still depend on the land and water. Venture into the park to become part of the wilderness.
51. Noatak Kotzebue, AK As one of North America’s largest mountain-ringed river basins with an intact ecosystem, the Noatak River environs feature some of the Arctic’s finest arrays of plants and animals. The river is classified as a National Wild and Scenic River. It offers stunning wilderness float-trip opportunities – from deep in the Brooks Range to the tidewater of the Chukchi Sea. I
52. Sitka Sitka, AK On an island amid towering spruce and hemlock, Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of a battle between invading Russian traders and indigenous Kiks.ádi Tlingit. Totem poles from Tlingit and Haida areas line the park’s scenic coastal trail, and the restored Russian Bishop’s House is a rare reminder of Russia’s colonial legacy in North America.
53. E Wrangell – St Elias Copper Center, AK Wrangell-St. Elias is a vast national park that rises from the ocean all the way up to 18,008 ft. At 13.2 million acres, the park is the same size as Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined! Within this wild landscape, people continue to live off the land as they have done for centuries. This rugged, beautiful land is filled with opportunities for adventure.
54. Yukon – Charley Rivers Eagle, AK Located in Interior Alaska, Yukon-Charley Rivers offers exploration in a largely untouched landscape. Whether you float the mighty Yukon River or paddle the Charley River’s whitewater, your memories will last a lifetime. Geology, cultural history, gold rush remnants, wildlife, and vast scenery will be a part of your experience. But, the strongest element will be solitude. Your adventure awaits.