National Parks List: The Ultimate U.S. Parks Guide + Free Printable Checklist

If you have a goal of visiting as many national parks as you can, a national parks check list is a great way to track your progress. It keeps you organized, helps you set goals — whether that’s tackling all the parks in one region or one state at a time — plus every time you check one off, it’s a small celebration and a reminder of just how much you’ve accomplished.

A list also makes planning easier. As you get familiar with where the parks are, you’ll start to notice natural groupings — clusters of parks that make perfect sense as a road trip. In this article you’ll find a complete U.S. national parks list you can print or download to record your progress.

U.S. National Parks List

With a total of 431 park units — 63 of them designated as national parks — spread across 50 states, the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories, every state has at least one national park unit. But not every state has a site that carries the official “national park” designation.

As of this writing, 20 states and the District of Columbia don’t have a national park: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.

I’ve been fortunate to visit 39 of the 63 national parks — and plenty of other park units along the way. I plan to keep adding more. Here’s the full list of all 63 national parks in 2026:

Not here for the full list? Jump straight to the downloadable national parks checklist.

National Park List by State

Here’s a list of all national parks by state:

Alabama National Parks

• Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
• Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
• Freedom Riders National Monument
• Little River Canyon National Preserve
• Natchez Trace Parkway
• Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail
• Russell Cave National Monument
• Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
• Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
• Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
• Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

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Alaska National Parks

• Denali National Park and Preserve
• Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
• Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
• Katmai National Park and Preserve
• Kenai Fjords National Park
• Kobuk Valley National Park
• Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
• Alagnak Wild River
• Alatna Wild River
• Aleutian Islands National Historic Area
• Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
• Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
• Cape Krusenstern National Monument
• Iñupiat Heritage Center
• Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
• Noatak National Preserve
• Sitka National Historical Park
• Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve

Arizona National Parks

• Grand Canyon National Park
• Petrified Forest National Park
• Saguaro National Park
• Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail
• Canyon de Chelly National Monument
• Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
• Chiricahua National Monument
• Coronado National Memorial
• Fort Bowie National Historic Site
• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
• Grand Canyon-Parashant
• Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
• Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area
• Montezuma Castle National Monument
• Navajo National Monument
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail
• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
• Pipe Spring National Monument
• Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
• Tonto National Monument
• Tumacácori National Historical Park
• Tuzigoot National Monument
• Walnut Canyon National Monument
• Wupatki National Monument

Arkansas National Parks

• Hot Springs National Park
• Arkansas Post National National Memorial
• Buffalo National River
• Fort Smith National Historic Site
• Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
• Pea Ridge National Military Park
• President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National National Historic Site
• Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

California National Parks

• Channel Islands National Park
• Death Valley National Park
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Kings Canyon National Park
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Pinnacles National Park
• Redwood National and State Parks
• Sequoia National Park
• Tule Lake National Monument
• Yosemite National Park
• Alcatraz Island
• Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail
• Cabrillo National Monument
• California National Historic Trail
• Castle Mountains National Monument
• César E. Chávez National Monument
• Devils Postpile National Monument
• Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site
• Fort Point National Historic Site
• Golden Gate National Recreation Area
• John Muir National Historic Site
• Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
• Lava Beds National Monument
• Manzanar National Historic Site
• Mojave National Preserve
• Muir Woods National Monument
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail
• Point Reyes National Seashore
• Pony Express National Historic Trail
• Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial
• Redwood National and State Parks
• Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
• San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
• Tule Lake Unit, World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
• Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area
• World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument

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Colorado National Parks

• Black Canyon of the Gunnison
• Great Sand Dunes
• Mesa Verde
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Amache National Historic Site (new in 2024)
• Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Cache La Poudre River Corridor
• Colorado National Monument
• Curecanti National Recreation Area
• Dinosaur National Monument
• Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
• Hovenweep National Monument
• Mesa Verde National Park
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail
• Pony Express National Historic Trail
• Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site
• Santa Fe National Historic Trail

Connecticut National Parks

• Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail
• Weir Farm National Historical Park

Delaware National Parks

• First State National Historical Park
• Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail

District of columbia National Parks

• African American Civil War Memorial
• Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument
• Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
• Constitution Gardens
• District of Columbia War Memorial
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial
• Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
• Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
• George Washington Memorial Parkway
• Korean War Veterans Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial
• Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
• National Capital Parks
• National Mall and Memorial Parks
• Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
• Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
• President’s Park (White House)
• Rock Creek Park
• Theodore Roosevelt Island
• Thomas Jefferson Memorial
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Washington Monument
• Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail
• White House Visitor Center
• World War I Memorial
• World War II Memorial

Florida National Parks

• Biscayne National Park
• Dry Tortugas National Park
• Everglades National Park
• African American Civil Rights Network
• Big Cypress National Preserve
• Canaveral National Seashore
• Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
• De Soto National Memorial
• Fort Caroline National Memorial
• Fort Matanzas National Monument
• Gulf Islands National Seashore
• Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve

Georgia National Parks

• Andersonville National Historic Site
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
• Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
• Cumberland Island National Seashore
• Fort Frederica National Monument
• Fort Pulaski National Monument
• Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
• Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
• Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park
• Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
• Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

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Hawaii National Parks

• Haleakalā National Park
• Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
• Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
• Honouliuli National Historic Site
• Kalaupapa National Historical Park
• Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park
• Pearl Harbor National Memorial
• Pu’ukohola Heiau
• Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Idaho National Parks

• City of Rocks National Reserve
• Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
• Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
• Minidoka National Historic Site
• Nez Perce National Historical Park

Illinois National Parks

• Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
• Lincoln Home National Historic Site
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument
• New Philadelphia National Historic Site
• Pullman National Monument
• Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument (new in 2024)
• Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

Indiana National Parks

• Indiana Dunes National Park
• George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Iowa National Parks

• Effigy Mounds National Monument
• Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail

Kansas National Parks

• Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site
• California National Historic Trail
• Fort Larned National Historic Site
• Fort Scott National Historic Site
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Nicodemus National Historic Site
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• Pony Express National Historic Trail
• Santa Fe National Historic Trail
• Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Kentucky National Parks

• Mammoth Cave National Park
• Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
• Camp Nelson National Monument
• Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
• Fort Donelson National Battlefield
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument

Louisiana National Parks

• Cane River Creole National Historical Park
• El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail
• Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
• New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park
• Poverty Point National Monument
• Vicksburg National Military Park

Maine National Parks

• Acadia National Park
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
• Saint Croix Island International Historic Site
• Saint Croix National Scenic River

Maryland National Parks

• Antietam National Battlefield
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Assateague Island National Seashore
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
• Clara Barton National Historic Site
• Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
• Fort Washington Park
• Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
• Monocacy National Battlefield
• Thomas Stone National Historic Site
• Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail

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Massachusetts National Parks

• Adams National Historical Park
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park
• Boston National Historic Park
• Boston African American National Historic Site
• Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
• Cape Cod National Seashore
• Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
• John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
• Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site
• Lowell National Historical Park
• Minute Man National Historical Park
• New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
• New England National Scenic Trail
• Salem Maritime National Historic Site
• Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
• Springfield Armory National Historic Site
• Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail

Michigan National Parks

• Isle Royale
• Keweenaw National Historical Park
• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
• River Raisin National Battlefield Park
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Minnesota National Parks

• Voyageurs National Park
• Grand Portage National Monument
• Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Pipestone National Monument
• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway

Mississippi National Parks

• Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
• Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
• Gulf Islands National Seashore
• Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area
• Natchez National Historical Park
• Natchez Trace Parkway
• Tupelo National Battlefield
• Vicksburg National Military Park

Missouri National Parks

• Gateway Arch National Park
• Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail
• California National Historic Trail
• George Washington Carver National Monument
• Harry S Truman National Historic Site
• Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• Ozark National Scenic Riverways
• Pony Express National Historic Trail
• Santa Fe National Historic Trail
• Ste. Geneviève National Historic Park
• Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
• Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
• Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield

Montana National Parks

• Glacier National Park
• Yellowstone National Park
• Big Hole National Battlefield
• Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
• Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
• Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
• Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
• Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
• Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
• Nez Perce National Historical Park

Nebraska National Parks

• Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
• Chimney Rock National Historic Site
• Homestead National Historic Park
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Missouri National Recreational River
• Niobrara National Scenic River
• Scotts Bluff National Monument

Nevada National Parks

• Death Valley National Park
• Great Basin National Park
• California National Historic Trail
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail
• Pony Express National Historic Trail
• Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

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New Hampshire National Parks

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park

New Jersey National Parks

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
• Edison National Historical Park
• Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument
• Gateway National Recreation Area
• Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River
• Morristown National Historical Park
• Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
• Thomas Edison National Historical Park
• Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail

New Mexico National Parks

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• White Sands National Park
• Aztec Ruins National Monument
• Bandelier National Monument
• Capulin Volcano National Monument
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park
• El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail
• El Malpais National Monument
• El Morro National Monument
• Fort Union National Monument
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
• Manhattan Project National Historical Park
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail
• Pecos National Historical Park
• Petroglyph National Monument
• Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
• Santa Fe National Historic Trail
• Valles Caldera National Preserve

New York National Parks

• African Burial Ground National Monument
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Castle Clinton National Monument
• Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
• Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
• Federal Hall National Memorial
• Fire Island National Seashore
• Fort Stanwix National Monument
• Gateway National Recreation Area
• General Grant National Memorial
• Governors Island National Monument
• Hamilton Grange National Memorial
• Harriet Tubman National Historical Park
• Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
• Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
• National Parks of New York Harbor
• Niagara Falls National Heritage Area
• Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
• Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site
• Saratoga National Historical Park
• Statue of Liberty National Monument
• Stonewall National Monument
• Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
• Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
• Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
• Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
• Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail
• Women’s Rights National Historical Park

North Carolina National Parks

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore
• Cape Lookout National Seashore
• Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
• Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
• Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
• Moores Creek National Battlefield
• Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
• Wright Brothers National Memorial

North Dakota National Parks

• Theodore Roosevelt National Park
• Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

Oregon National Parks

• Crater Lake National Park
• California National Historic Trail
• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
• Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
• John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
• Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
• Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
• Nez Perce National Historical Park
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve

Pennsylvania National Parks

• Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Scenic Trail
• Chesapeake Bay
• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
• Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
• Eisenhower National Historic Site 
• First State National Historical Park
• Flight 93 National Memorial
• Fort Necessity National Battlefield
• Friendship Hill National Historic Site
• Gettysburg National Military Park
• Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site
• Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
• Independence National Historical Park
• Johnstown Flood National Memorial
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
• Steamtown National Historic Site 
• Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial
• Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
• Valley Forge National Historical Park
• Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail

Rhode Island National Parks

• Blackstone River Valley National Historic Site 
• Roger Williams National Memorial
• Steamtown National Historic Site 
• Touro Synagogue
• Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail

South Carolina National Parks

• Congaree National Park
• Charles Pinckney National Historic Site 
• Cowpens National Battlefield
• Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historic Park
• Kings Mountain National Military Park
• Ninety Six National Historic Site
• Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
• Reconstruction Era National Historic Park

South Dakota National Parks

• Badlands National Park
• Wind Cave National Park
• Jewel Cave National Monument
• Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
• Minuteman Missile National Historic Site 
• Missouri National Recreational River
• Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Tennessee National Parks

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Andrew Johnson National Historic Site 
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
• Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park
• Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
• Fort Donelson National Battlefield
• Manhattan Project National Historical Park
• Natchez Trace Parkway
• Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail
• Obed Wild and Scenic River
• Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
•  Shiloh National Military Park
• Stones River National Battlefield
• Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

Texas National Parks

• Big Bend National Park
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park
• Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
• Amistad National Recreation Area
• Big Thicket National Preserve
• Blackwell School National Historic Site (new in 2024)
• Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail
• Chamizal National Memorial
• El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail
• Fort Davis National Historic Site
• Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
• Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
• Padre Island National Seashore
• Palo Alto National Historical Park
• Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River
• San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
• Waco Mammoth National Monument

Utah National Parks

• Arches National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Capital Reef National Park
• Canyonlands National Park
• Zion National Park
• California National Historical Trail
• Cedar Breaks National Monument
• Dinosaur National Monument
• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
• Golden Spike National Historical Park
• Hovenweep National Monument
• Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
• Natural Bridges National Monument
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail
• Pony Express National Historic Trail
• Rainbow Bridge National Monument
• Timpanogos Cave National Monument

Vermont National Parks

• Appalachian National Historic Trail
• Marsh – Billings – Rockefeller National Historic Park 
• North Country National Historic Trail

Virginia National Parks

• Shenandoah National Park
• Appalachian National Historic Trail
• Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
• Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
• Assateague Island National Seashore
• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Booker T Washington National Monument
• Cape Henry Memorial
• Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Scenic Trail
• Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park
• Chesapeake Bay
• Civil War Defenses of Washington
• Colonial National Historical Park
• Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
• Fort Monroe National Monument
• Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park
• George Washington Memorial Parkway
• George Washington Birthplace National Monument
• Great Falls Park
• Green Springs National Historic Landmark
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
• Historic Jamestowne
• Maggie L Walker National Historical Park
• Manassas National Battlefield Park
• Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
• Petersburg’s National Battlefield Park
• Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
• Prince William Forest Park
• Richmond National Battle Park
• Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
• Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail
• Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
• Yorktown Battlefield

Washington National Parks

• Mount Rainier National Park
• North Cascades National Park
• Olympic National Park
• Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve
• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site 
• Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
• Klondike Gold Rush – Seattle Unit National Historical Trail
• Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
• Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
• Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
• Manhattan Project National Historical Park
• Minidoka National Historic Site 
• Nez Perce National Historical Park
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• San Juan Island National Historical Park
• Whitman Mission National Historic Site 

West Virginia National Parks

• New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
• Appalachian National Historic Trail
• Bluestone National Scenic River
• Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park
• Chesapeake Bay
• Gauley River National Recreation Area
• Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
• Ice Age National Scenic Trail
• Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail

Wisconsin National Parks

• Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
• Ice Age National Scenic Trail
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway

Wyoming National Parks

• Grand Teton National Park
• Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
• California National Historic Trail
• Devils Tower National Monument
• Fort Laramie National Historic Site
• Fossil Butte National Monument
• Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• Pony Express National Historic Trail

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National Parks in U.S. Territories

• National Park of American Samoa
• Virgin Islands National Park
• War in the Pacific National Historical Park

National Parks Downloadable Checklist

Now for the printable national parks checklist with all 63 national parks listed by state. You can also download, save and print a free, PDF version of this checklist by clicking here.

Save Money With the America the Beautiful Pass

If you’re serious about visiting national parks, the America the Beautiful Pass is one of the best deals in travel. For $80 a year it covers the entrance fee at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites — national parks, monuments, recreation areas and more. If you visit even two or three major parks in a year it pays for itself quickly.

The pass covers the entrance fee for the pass holder and passengers in the same vehicle at per-vehicle fee areas, or the pass holder and up to three adults at per-person fee areas. Kids 16 and under are always free.

There’s also a free version available for U.S. military members and their dependents, fourth graders through the Every Kid Outdoors program, and people with permanent disabilities. Senior passes are available at a discount as well.

For everything you need to know about buying, using and getting the most out of the pass, check out my full guide: America the Beautiful Pass: What You Need to Know.

National Parks Better Together

One of the best ways to see more national parks is to group them by region and build a road trip around them. I’ve been doing this for years with my daughter, — from my home base in Georgia and from Las Vegas where she now lives — and it’s the single best strategy I know for checking off multiple parks in one trip.

Here are just a few of the routes that have worked well for us:

Georgia to the Southwest — Saguaro, Organ Pipe, White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains and Big Bend all in one epic drive from Atlanta to Tucson and back.

Georgia to the Northern Rockies — Theodore Roosevelt, Glacier, Grand Teton, Craters of the Moon, Dinosaur and Rocky Mountain.

Georgia to the Northern Plains — Badlands, Custer State Park, Devil’s Tower, Little Bighorn, Pompeys Pillar, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

Georgia to Utah’s Mighty Five and Beyond — Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches, Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

Georgia to Nevada on I-40 — Fort Smith, Lake Meredith, El Malpais, Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater and Petrified Forest, with plenty of reasons to stop in between.

Las Vegas to the North Rim — Grand Canyon North Rim, Glen Canyon and Horseshoe Bend and the Navajo Nation.

Midwest Loop — Chicago to Indiana Dunes, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Pictured Rocks, Cuyahoga and New River Gorge home to Atlanta.

Las Vegas to Yosemite — Devil’s Postpile, Mammoth Lakes, Mono Lake, Manzanar and Death Valley along the way.

Las Vegas to Southern California — Mojave National Preserve, Joshua Tree and Cabrillo National Monument.

Seattle to the Pacific Northwest — Mount Rainier and the Columbia River Gorge.

Alaska Every Way — Glacier Bay by cruise, Kenai Fjords and Denali by road, and Misty Fjords by seaplane and two unforgettable train rides including the Turnagain Arm. And if you go, don’t miss Tongass National Forest — the most spectacular national forest that no one should ever touch or alter in any way.

The East Coast and Appalachians — Acadia, the White Mountains, Shenandoah, Blue Ridge Parkway, Harpers Ferry, Antietam, the C&O Canal and more Virginia stops than we can list here.

Each of these routes deserves its own article — and most of them are already in the works. Stay tuned. By the way, none of this was done as full-time travelers. We had jobs, school and real life commitments just like you. We just refused to let that be the reason not to go. You can do it too.

Tips for Visiting National Parks

• NPS.gov is your starting point for park hours, entrance fees, alerts and everything you need to know before you go. Book campsites, tours and timed entry permits at Recreation.gov. And don’t leave home without downloading the free National Park Service app — it works offline, which matters more than you’d think once you’re in the backcountry.
• Many of the best experiences near national parks are actually on surrounding public lands. Check BLM.gov for Bureau of Land Management areas and USFS.gov for national forests — both often offer dispersed camping, hiking and access with fewer crowds than the parks themselves.
• Public lands belong to all of us. Before you go, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the Leave No Trace 7 Principles — they’re the foundation of responsible outdoor recreation and help keep these places wild for the next visitor.

Your National Parks Checklist

No matter if you’re just starting out on your national parks journey or well into checking them off your list, having a plan makes all the difference. The National Park Service app is also a great digital tool for keeping up with the parks you’ve visited and finding new ones.

Need more park inspiration? These might help:

• 7 Dreamy National Romantic National Parks in the United States
• 9 of the the Best National Parks to Visit When You are Short on Time
• 7 Epic Road Trips From Las Vegas to National Parks

If you want help planning your next national parks trip — from which parks to visit to how to build them into a road trip — that’s exactly what I’m here for. Fill out this form and let’s start planning, or feel free to email me to chat parks.

See you on the trail!