America offers more than just "national parks," but before you dive into the comprehensive list below that includes monuments, historic sites, memorials, trails, rivers, battlefields and more, start with the Traveler's Essential Park Guides to some of our most enticing national park vacations.
National Parks Traveler's Essential Park Guides
Organizing a national park vacation can take a lot of planning, but with the Essential Park Guides below it shouldn't be hard work. You'll want to consider lodging possibilities, know what camping options exist, and look into the all activities available.
The following multi-page national park primers offer overviews of their respective parks, lodging, camping, and hiking opportunities, and other aspects of the parks, such as wildlife resources. These are "living" profiles and will continue to evolve, so check back from time to time to see what additions have been made.
- Acadia National Park
- Arches National Park
- Badlands National Park
- Big Bend National Park
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyon de Chelly National Monument
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Crater Lake National Park
- Death Valley National Park
- Denali National Park and Preserve
- Glacier National Park
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
- Great Basin National Park
- Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
- Jewel Cave National Monument
- John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Katmai National Park and Preserve
- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Olympic National Park
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Shenandoah National Park
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Virgin Islands National Park
- Walnut Canyon National Monument
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Zion National Park
Traveler's Comprehensive Overview of the National Park System
Below is a complete listing of the various units of the National Park System and stories we've written about them (the default for units that have not yet appeared in the Traveler is the respective nps.gov site).
National Parks
- Acadia National Park
- Arches National Park
- Badlands National Park
- Big Bend National Park
- Biscayne National Park
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Channel Islands National Park
- Congaree National Park
- Crater Lake National Park
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park
- Death Valley National Park
- Denali National Park and Preserve
- Dry Tortugas National Park
- Everglades National Park
- Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
- Gateway Arch National Park
- Glacier National Park
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
- Great Basin National Park
- Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Guadulupe Mountains National Park
- Haleakala National Park
- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Hot Springs National Park
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- Isle Royale National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Katmai National Park and Preserve
- Kenai Fjords National Park and Preserve
- Kings Canyon National Park
- Kobuk Valley National Park
- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Mammoth Cave National Park
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Mount Rainier National Park
- National Park of American Samoa
- North Cascades National Park
- Olympic National Park
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Pinnacles National Park
- Redwood National and State Parks
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Saguaro National Park
- Sequoia National Park
- Shenandoah National Park
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Virgin Islands National Park
- Voyageurs National Park
- Wind Cave National Park
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Zion National Park
National Battlefield (Battlefields, parks, sites, etc)
- Antietam National Battlefield
- Big Hole National Battlefield
- Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
- Cowpens National Battlefield
- Fort Donelson National Battlefield
- Fort Necessity National Battlefield
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
- Manassas National Battlefield Park
- Monocacy National Battlefield
- Moores Creek National Battlefield
- Petersburg National Battlefield
- Richmond National Battlefield Park
- River Raisin National Battlefield Park
- Stones River National Battlefield
- Tupelo National Battlefield
- Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
- Yorktown Battlefield
National Cemetery
- Andersonville National Cemetery
- Antietam National Cemetery
- Battleground National Cemetery
- Chattanooga National Cemetery
- Custer National Cemetery
- Fredericksburg National Cemetery
- Gettysburg National Cemetery
- San Francisco National Cemetery
- Shiloh National Cemetery
- Vicksburg National Cemetery
- Yorktown National Cemetery
National Heritage Corridors
- Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
- Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
- Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
- Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor
- Quinebaug & Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor
National Historic Areas
National Historic Sites
- Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
- Andersonville National Historic Site
- Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
- Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
- Boston African American National Historic Site
- Brown V Board of Education National Historic Site
- Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
- Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
- Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
- Chimney Rock National Historic Site
- Christiansted National Historic Site
- Clara Barton National Historic Site
- Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
- Eisenhower National Historic Site
- Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
- Eugene O'Neil National Historic Site
- First Ladies National Historic Site
- Ford's Theater National Historic Site
- Fort Bowie National Historic Site
- Fort Davis National Historic Site
- Fort Laramie National Historic Site
- Fort Larned National HIstoric Site
- Fort Point National HIstoric Site
- Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
- Fort Scott National Historic Site
- Fort Smith National Historic Site
- Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
- Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
- Frederick Douglass National HIstoric Site
- Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
- Friendship Hill National Historic Site
- Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site
- Golden Spike National Historic Site
- Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
- Hampton National Historic Site
- Harry S Truman National Historic Site
- Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
- Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
- Hopewell Furnance National Historic Site
- Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
- James A. Garfield National Historic Site
- Jimmy Carter National HIstoric Site
- John F. Kennedy National Historic Site
- John Muir National Historic Site
- Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
- Lincoln Home National Historic Site
- Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
- Longfellow National Historic Site
- Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
- Manzanar National Historic Site
- Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site
- Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
- Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
- Minidoka National Historic Site
- Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
- Nicodemus National Historic Site
- Ninety Six National Historic Site
- Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site
- Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
- President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site
- Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site
- Sagamore Hill National HIstoric Site
- Saint Croix Island International Historic Site
- Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site
- Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
- Salem Maritime National Historic Site
- San Juan National HIstoric Site
- Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site
- Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
- Sewall-Belmont National Historic Site
- Springfield Armory National Historic Site
- Steamtown National Historic Site
- Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
- Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
- Thomas Stone National Historic Site
- Touro Synagogue National HIstoric Site
- Tuskeegee Airman National Historic Site
- Tuskeegee Institute National Historic Site
- Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
- Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
- Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
- Weir Farm National Historic Site
- Whitman Mission National Historic Site
- William Howard Taft National Historic Site
National Historical Parks
- Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
- Adams National HIstorical Park
- Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park
- Boston National Historical Park
- Cane River Creole National HIstorical Park
- Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park
- Chaco Cultural National Historical Park
- Chesapeake and Ohio National HIstorical Park
- Colonial National Historical Park
- Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
- Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
- First State National Historical Park
- George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
- Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
- Hopewell Cultural National Historical Park
- Independence National Historical Park
- Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
- Kalauppa National Historical Park
- Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park
- Keweenaw National Historical Park
- Klondike Gold Rush -- Seattle Unit National Historical Park
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
- Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
- Lowell National Historical Park
- Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
- Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
- Minute Man National Historical Park
- Morristown National Historical Park
- Natchez National Historical Park
- New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
- New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
- Nez Perce National Historical Park
- Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
- Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
- Pecos National Historical Park
- Pu`uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park
- Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park
- Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve
- San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
- San Juan Island National Historical Park
- Saratoga National Historical Park
- Sitka National Historical Park
- Thomas Edison National Historical Park
- Tumacacori National Historical Park
- Valley Forge National Historical Park
- War In The Pacific National Historical Park
- Women's Rights National Historical Park
National Lakeshores
- Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
National Memorial
- Arkansas Post National Memorial
- Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial
- Chamizal National Memorial
- Coronado National Memorial
- David Berger National Memorial
- De Soto National Memorial
- Father Marquette National Memorial
- Federal Hall National Memorial
- Flight 93 National Memorial
- Fort Caroline National Memorial
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt National Memorial
- General Grant National Memorial
- Johnstown Flood National Memorial
- Korean Veterans National Memorial
- Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
- Lincoln National Memorial
- Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- National Mall and Memorial Parks
- Oklahoma City National Memorial
- Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
- Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial
- Roger Williams National Memorial
- Thaddeus Koscluszko National Memorial
- Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial
- Thomas Jefferson Memorial
- USS Arizona National Memorial
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- World War II Memorial
- Wright Brothers National Memorial
National Military Parks
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
- Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Battlefield
- Gettysburg National Military Park
- Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
- Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
- Kings Mountain National Military Park
- Pea Ridge National Military Park
- Shiloh National Military Park
- Vicksburg National Military Park
National Monuments
- African Burial Ground National Monument
- Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
- Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
- Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
- Aztec Ruins National Monument
- Bandelier National Monument
- Belmont-Paul Women's Equity National Monument
- Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
- Booker T Washington National Monument
- Buck Island Reef National Monument
- Cabrillo National Monument
- Canyon De Chelly National Monument
- Cape Krusenstern National Monument
- Capulin Volcano National Monument
- Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
- Castillo De San Marcos National Monument
- Castle Clinton National Monument
- Castle Mountains National Monument
- Cedar Breaks National Monument
- César E. Chávez National Monument
- Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
- Chiricahua National Monument
- Colorado National Monument
- Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
- Devils Postpile National Monument
- Devils Tower National Monument
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Effigy Mounds National Monument
- El Malpais National Monument
- El Morro National Monument
- Ellis Island National Monument
- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
- Fort Frederica National Monument
- Fort Matanzas National Monument
- Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
- Fort Monroe National Monument
- Fort Pulaski National Monument
- Fort Stanwix National Monument
- Fort Sumter National Monument
- Fort Union National Monument
- Fossil Butte National Monument
- Freedom Riders National Monument
- George Washington Birthplace National Monument
- George Washington Carver National Monument
- Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
- Governors Island National Monument
- Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
- Grand Portage National Monument
- Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
- Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument
- Hohokam Pima National Monument
- Homestead National Monument of America
- Honouliuli National Monument
- Hovenweep National Monument
- Jewel Cave National Monument
- John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
- Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
- Lava Beds National Monument
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
- Montezuma Castle National Monument
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Natural Bridges National Monument
- Navajo National Monument
- Ocmulgee National Monument
- Oregon Caves National Monument
- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
- Petroglyph National Monument
- Pipe Spring National Monument
- Pipestone National Monument
- Poverty Point National Monument
- Pullman National Monument
- Rainbow Bridge National Monument
- Russell Cave National Monument
- Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
- Scotts Bluff National Monument
- Statue of Liberty National Monument
- Stonewall National Monument
- Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
- Timpanogos Cave National Monument
- Tonto National Monument
- Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument
- Tuzigoot National Monument
- Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
- Waco Mammoth National Monument
- Walnut Canyon National Monument
- Washington Monument
- White Sands National Monument
- World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
- Wupatki National Monument
- Yucca House National Monument
National Parkways
- Baltimore-Washington Parkway
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- George Washington Memorial Parkway
- John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway
- Natchez Trace Parkway
- Suitland Parkway
National Preserve
- Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
- Big Cypress National Preserve
- Big Thicket National Preserve
- Little River Canyon National Preserve
- Mojave National Preserve
- Noatak National Preserve
- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
- Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve
- Valles Caldera National Preserve
- Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
National Recreation Areas
- Amistad National Recreation Area
- Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
- Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
- Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
- Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
- Chickasaw National Recreation Area
- Curecanti National Recreation Area
- Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
- Gateway National Recreation Area
- Gauley River National Recreation Area
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
- Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
- Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
- Ross Lake National Recreation Area
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
- Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
- Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
National Rivers (Scenic, wild, etc)
- Alagnak Wild River
- Bluestone National Scenic River
- Buffalo National River
- Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River
- Missouri National Recreational River
- New River Gorge National River
- Niobrara National Scenic River
- Obed Wild and Scenic River
- Ozark National Scenic Riverways
- Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River
- Saint Croix National Scenic River
- Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
National Seashores
- Assateague Islands National Seashore
- Canaveral National Seashore
- Cape Cod National Seashore
- Cape Hatteras National Seashore
- Cape Lookout National Seashore
- Cumberland Island National Seashore
- Fire Island National Seashore
- Gulf Islands National Seashore
- Padre Island National Seashore
- Point Reyes National Seashore
National Trails
- Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail
- Arizona National Scenic Trail
- California National Historic Trail
- Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail
- Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
- El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail
- El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail
- Florida National Scenic Trail
- Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
- Ice Age National Scenic Trail
- Iditarod National Historic Trail
- Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
- Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail
- New England National Scenic Trail
- North Country National Scenic Trail
- Old Spanish National Historic Trail
- Oregon National Historic Trail
- Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
- Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail
- Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail
- Pony Express National Historic Trail
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
- Santa Fe National Historic Trail
- Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
- Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
- Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
- Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail
Miscellaneous Sites
- Alcatraz Island
- American Memorial Park
- Anacostia Park
- Catoctin Mountain Park
- Constitution Gardens
- Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve
- Fort Washington Park
- Glen Echo Park
- Great Falls Park
- Green Springs National Historic Landmark District
- Greenbelt Park
- Inupiat Heritage Center
- Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
- Maine Acadian Culture
- National Capital Parks-East
- National Parks of New York Harbor
- New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
- Old Post Office Tower
- Pinelands National Reserve
- Piscataway Park
- Prince William Forest Park
- Rock Creek Park
- The Old Stone House
- The White House and Presidents Park
- Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts