The newest parks
| Park | State | Became a national park |
|---|---|---|
| Chiricahua | Arizona | October 20, 2026 |
| New River Gorge | West Virginia | December 27, 2020 |
| White Sands | New Mexico | December 20, 2019 |
| Indiana Dunes | Indiana | February 15, 2019 |
| Gateway Arch | Missouri | February 22, 2018 |
| Pinnacles | California | January 10, 2013 |
Chiricahua had been a national monument since 1924. The new law kept its boundaries and its management; it added no land.
Where they are
- 32 states and territories have at least one national park. Thirty states have one, plus American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- California has the most with 9, then Alaska with 8 and Utah with 5. Arizona and Colorado have 4 each now that Chiricahua is counted.
- Yellowstone is in three states; Great Smoky Mountains and Death Valley are in two.
See every park on the national parks map or browse by state.
Park or national park?
The National Park Service runs more than 430 official sites, and people often call all of them national parks. Only 64 carry the official national park title, which takes an act of Congress. The rest are national monuments, seashores, lakeshores, historic sites, battlefields, memorials, parkways, rivers, trails and recreation areas. National monuments can also be created by the president.
We cover them too: browse all 412 other Park Service sites, the national monuments or the seashores and lakeshores, or switch on All Park Service sites on the map.
Sources
- Wikipedia: List of national parks of the United States (area from NPS land resource data, 2025 recreation visits from NPS visitor statistics)
- National Park Service: Chiricahua National Monument Becomes America’s Newest National Park (20 Oct 2026)
Sources last checked 1 November 2026.
