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Largest and Smallest National Parks in the U.S.

By The Green Adventures · Updated · How we check

The largest national park, Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska, covers 8,323,146 acres, about 13,005 square miles. The smallest, Gateway Arch in St. Louis, covers 193 acres.

The 10 largest

Park State Acres Square miles
Wrangell-St. Elias Alaska 8,323,146 13,005
Gates of the Arctic Alaska 7,523,897 11,756
Denali Alaska 4,740,911 7,408
Katmai Alaska 3,674,529 5,741
Death Valley California and Nevada 3,408,396 5,326
Glacier Bay Alaska 3,223,383 5,037
Lake Clark Alaska 2,619,816 4,093
Yellowstone Wyoming, Montana and Idaho 2,219,791 3,468
Kobuk Valley Alaska 1,750,716 2,735
Everglades Florida 1,508,939 2,358

The four largest are all in Alaska. The biggest in the lower 48 is Death Valley.

The 10 smallest

Park State Acres
Gateway Arch Missouri 193
Hot Springs Arkansas 5,554
New River Gorge West Virginia 7,021
American Samoa American Samoa 8,257
Chiricahua Arizona 12,000
Virgin Islands U.S. Virgin Islands 15,052
Indiana Dunes Indiana 15,349
Pinnacles California 26,686
Congaree South Carolina 26,693
Black Canyon of the Gunnison Colorado 30,780

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the largest national park?

Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska.

What is the largest national park in the lower 48?

Death Valley, in California and Nevada.

What is the smallest national park?

Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

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