The 10 Largest National Parks in the US in 2027
Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska is the largest national park in the US at 8,323,146.48 acres. Gates of the Arctic is second and Denali third. Seven of the ten largest parks are in Alaska; Death Valley is the largest outside it.
At a glance
| # | Pick | Area | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve | 8,323,146.48 acres | The biggest wilderness in the National Park System |
| 2 | Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve | 7,523,897.45 acres | True roadless backcountry |
| 3 | Denali National Park and Preserve | 4,740,911.16 acres | Seeing North America's tallest peak |
| 4 | Katmai National Park and Preserve | 3,674,529.33 acres | Watching brown bears fish for salmon |
| 5 | Death Valley National Park | 3,408,395.63 acres | The biggest park in the lower 48 |
| 6 | Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve | 3,223,383.43 acres | Tidewater glaciers seen from a cruise ship |
| 7 | Lake Clark National Park and Preserve | 2,619,816.49 acres | Lakes, volcanoes and fly-in fishing |
| 8 | Yellowstone National Park | 2,219,790.71 acres | Geysers, hot springs and wildlife |
| 9 | Kobuk Valley National Park | 1,750,716.16 acres | Arctic sand dunes and caribou migration |
| 10 | Everglades National Park | 1,508,938.57 acres | Wetlands, wildlife and paddling |
Pick by what you want
The ranking
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Wrangell-St. Elias in southeast Alaska covers 8,323,146.48 acres, making it the largest national park in the country. It holds massive glaciers and some of the tallest peaks in North America, and it drew 108,840 recreation visitors in 2025.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Gates of the Arctic lies entirely north of the Arctic Circle and covers 7,523,897.45 acres. There are no roads or marked trails into the park, and it had just 14,923 recreation visitors in 2025, among the fewest of any national park.
Denali National Park and Preserve
Denali National Park and Preserve covers 4,740,911.16 acres around Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. It is the most visited of the big Alaska parks, with 543,300 recreation visitors in 2025, and a single park road leads into the interior.
Katmai National Park and Preserve
Katmai National Park and Preserve covers 3,674,529.33 acres on the Alaska Peninsula. It is best known for the brown bears that gather at Brooks Falls to catch salmon, and it had 34,479 recreation visitors in 2025.
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park covers 3,408,395.63 acres across California and Nevada, the most of any park outside Alaska. It is the hottest and driest national park and drew 1,320,134 recreation visitors in 2025.
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve covers 3,223,383.43 acres in southeast Alaska. Most of its 740,044 recreation visitors in 2025 saw its tidewater glaciers from cruise ships and tour boats.
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve covers 2,619,816.49 acres southwest of Anchorage. It has no road access, and its 19,778 recreation visitors in 2025 mostly flew in by small plane.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park covers 2,219,790.71 acres, mostly in Wyoming, and was established in 1872 as the first national park. It is the busiest park on this list, with 4,762,988 recreation visitors in 2025.
Kobuk Valley National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park covers 1,750,716.16 acres above the Arctic Circle. It protects the Kobuk River and arctic sand dunes, and it had 7,786 recreation visitors in 2025.
Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park covers 1,508,938.57 acres at the southern tip of Florida. It protects a huge freshwater wetland and drew 778,198 recreation visitors in 2025.
How we ranked these
Questions people ask
What is the largest national park in the US?
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska, at 8,323,146.48 acres. It is bigger than the next park on this list, Gates of the Arctic, by about 800,000 acres.
What is the largest national park outside Alaska?
Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada, at 3,408,395.63 acres.
Why are most of the largest parks in Alaska?
Seven of the ten largest national parks are in Alaska, most of them created in 1980 to protect huge areas of wilderness.
Which of these parks gets the most visitors?
Yellowstone, with 4,762,988 recreation visitors in 2025. Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley get the fewest, with 14,923 and 7,786.
Where do these numbers come from?
Park areas come from National Park Service acreage figures and visitor counts are NPS recreation visits for 2025.
Area (million acres) at a glance
Official sites
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve · nps.gov
- Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve · nps.gov
- Denali National Park and Preserve · nps.gov
- Katmai National Park and Preserve · nps.gov
- Death Valley National Park · nps.gov
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve · nps.gov
- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve · nps.gov
- Yellowstone National Park · nps.gov
- Kobuk Valley National Park · nps.gov
- Everglades National Park · nps.gov
Sources
Photos: commons.wikimedia.org (credits under each photo).
Park areas change very little from year to year; visitor counts are updated each year by the NPS.