Largest National Parks in the US

The largest national park in the United States is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve in Alaska, at about 13.2 million acres. It is more than 1.5 times the size of the next largest park and covers more ground than Switzerland. Below is the full top 10 by size, what that scale looks like on the ground, and which parks lead outside Alaska.

The 10 Largest National Parks in the US

Acreage comes from the National Park Service and includes preserve land where a park and preserve are managed together. The last column shows what the size means in practice: how you actually get in.

Rank	Park	State	Acres	Square miles	How you get in
1	Wrangell-St. Elias	Alaska	13,175,901	20,587	Two gravel roads, or small plane
2	Gates of the Arctic	Alaska	8,472,506	13,238	No roads; fly in from Bettles or Coldfoot
3	Denali	Alaska	6,075,030	9,492	One 92-mile road, mostly by park bus
4	Katmai	Alaska	4,093,229	6,396	No roads; floatplane or boat
5	Lake Clark	Alaska	4,030,025	6,297	No roads; small plane or boat
6	Death Valley	California & Nevada	3,372,402	5,269	Paved roads, open all year
7	Glacier Bay	Alaska	3,283,246	5,130	Cruise ship, tour boat or flight to Gustavus
8	Yellowstone	Wyoming, Montana & Idaho	2,219,791	3,468	Five entrances and the 142-mile Grand Loop Road
9	Kobuk Valley	Alaska	1,750,717	2,736	No roads; fly in from Kotzebue
10	Everglades	Florida	1,508,538	2,357	Main road to Flamingo, most of the park by boat

Wrangell-St. Elias: How Big Is the Largest National Park?

Wrangell-St. Elias is the biggest national park in America by a wide margin. Its 20,587 square miles would hold almost six Yellowstones, and it is larger than Switzerland. It is also the largest unit of the entire National Park System, including monuments, seashores and historic sites.

That space holds the meeting point of three mountain ranges: the Chugach, Wrangell and St. Elias. Nine of the 16 highest peaks in the United States stand inside the park, including Mount St. Elias at 18,008 feet. Some of its glaciers are larger than entire national parks in the lower 48.

What national park is bigger than Rhode Island?

Rhode Island covers about 1,545 square miles, including water. The 12 largest national parks are all bigger than that, down to Glacier National Park in Montana at about 1,584 square miles. Wrangell-St. Elias alone could hold Rhode Island more than 13 times.

Why Alaska Has the Biggest National Parks

Seven of the ten largest national parks are in Alaska, and the reason is one law. In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act created or expanded most of Alaska's national parks at once and more than doubled the land in the National Park System. Wrangell-St. Elias, Gates of the Arctic, Kobuk Valley and Lake Clark all became national parks that year, and Denali, Katmai and Glacier Bay were enlarged.

Most of these parks protect whole ecosystems rather than single landmarks, so they have few or no roads. That is also why the giants of the list are among the least visited national parks in the US.

What was the largest national park before 1980?

Before the Alaska law, Yellowstone was the largest national park in the country. Mount McKinley National Park, now Denali, existed but was much smaller before its 1980 expansion.

The Largest National Parks Outside Alaska

In the lower 48 states, the biggest national park is Death Valley in California and Nevada. It is also the hottest and driest place in North America and holds the continent's lowest point, Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level. Its mild winters make it one of the best national parks to visit in December.

The five largest national parks outside Alaska:

1. Death Valley, California & Nevada (No. 6 overall)
2. Yellowstone, Wyoming, Montana & Idaho (No. 8 overall)
3. Everglades, Florida (No. 10 overall)
4. Grand Canyon, Arizona: 1,217,403 acres
5. Glacier, Montana: 1,013,572 acres

Is Yellowstone the largest national park?

No. Yellowstone is often called the biggest national park, but it ranks eighth in the country and second in the lower 48, behind Death Valley. It does hold another title: it was the first national park in the US, created in 1872.

From the Smallest to the World's Largest

What is the smallest national park in the US?

The smallest national park is Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri, at under 200 acres. It protects the 630-foot Gateway Arch and its grounds on the Mississippi River. The next smallest is Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, at about 5,500 acres.

How big is Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers 521,776 acres, or about 815 square miles, across Tennessee and North Carolina. It ranks only 20th by size, yet it is the most visited national park in the country.

What is the largest national park in the world?

The largest national park in the world is Northeast Greenland National Park, at about 375,000 square miles. It is more than 18 times the size of Wrangell-St. Elias.

How big is Kruger National Park?

Kruger National Park in South Africa covers about 7,500 square miles. On the US list, it would rank fourth, between Denali and Katmai.

Mark the Giants on Your Map

Some of the largest parks on this list take a lifetime of planning to reach. Whether you have stood at Badwater Basin or are still dreaming of a flight into Wrangell-St. Elias, a wooden national parks map keeps every park in view. The Landscape Edition adds a scenic design to the same map, and our National Parks Travel Tracker lets you mark each of the 63 parks you reach. For the full list, read How Many National Parks Are in the US?