The 15 Largest National Parks in America (Ranked by Size)

The largest national park in the United States is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska, which covers more than 13 million acres of park and preserve. That is larger than nine U.S. states, larger than the entire country of Switzerland, and bigger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon combined.

Below are the 15 largest national parks ranked by acreage, followed by a complete list of all 64 parks by size. A quick note on method: these figures count the national park itself. Several of the biggest sites in Alaska are formally a “national park and preserve,” and the preserve isn’t counted here. For the top two, where the preserve is largest, we’ve noted the combined figure too.

The 15 Largest National Parks at a Glance

Rank	National Park	State	Total Acres
1	Wrangell–St. Elias	Alaska	13,175,799
2	Gates of the Arctic	Alaska	8,472,506
3	Denali	Alaska	4,740,911
4	Katmai	Alaska	3,674,529
5	Death Valley	California & Nevada	3,408,395
6	Glacier Bay	Alaska	3,223,384
7	Lake Clark	Alaska	2,619,816
8	Yellowstone	WY, MT, ID	2,219,791
9	Kobuk Valley	Alaska	1,750,716
10	Everglades	Florida	1,508,938
11	Grand Canyon	Arizona	1,201,647
12	Glacier	Montana	1,013,126
13	Olympic	Washington	922,651
14	Big Bend	Texas	801,163
15	Joshua Tree	California	795,156

The 15 Largest National Parks, Ranked

1. Wrangell–St. Elias, Alaska (8,323,148 acres, 13,175,799 with its preserve)

The biggest unit in the entire National Park System. Wrangell–St. Elias contains nine of the sixteen highest peaks in the United States and more glacial ice than anywhere else in the country outside the polar regions. Most of it is roadless wilderness reachable only by bush plane or two gravel roads.

2. Gates of the Arctic, Alaska (7,523,898 acres, 8,472,506 with its preserve)

Entirely above the Arctic Circle, Gates of the Arctic has no roads, no trails, and no campgrounds. It’s the second least visited national park in the country, after Kobuk Valley, with the national park portion alone covering more than 7.5 million acres.

3. Denali, Alaska (4,740,911 acres)

Home to Denali, the highest peak in North America at 20,310 feet. A single 92-mile road runs into the park, and beyond the early miles, private vehicles are not allowed.

4. Katmai, Alaska (3,674,529 acres)

Katmai is famous for the brown bears that gather at Brooks Falls to catch salmon each summer, and for the volcanic Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.

5. Death Valley, California and Nevada (3,408,395 acres)

The largest national park outside Alaska. Death Valley holds the record for the hottest air temperature ever reliably measured on Earth and contains the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin.

6. Glacier Bay, Alaska (3,223,384 acres)

A marine wilderness of tidewater glaciers and fjords, Glacier Bay is best explored by boat and is a major stop for Alaska cruises.

7. Lake Clark, Alaska (2,619,816 acres)

Lake Clark combines active volcanoes, salmon-rich rivers, and coastal bear viewing, with no road access from outside the park.

8. Yellowstone, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho (2,219,791 acres)

The first national park in the world, established in 1872. Yellowstone sits atop one of the planet’s largest active volcanic systems and holds about half of the world’s geysers.

9. Kobuk Valley, Alaska (1,750,716 acres)

One of the least visited parks in the system, Kobuk Valley protects the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and the migration route of the Western Arctic caribou herd.

10. Everglades, Florida (1,508,938 acres)

The largest tropical wilderness in the United States, Everglades is a slow-moving river of grass and the only place on Earth where alligators and crocodiles coexist.

11. Grand Canyon, Arizona (1,201,647 acres)

A mile-deep chasm carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, Grand Canyon exposes nearly two billion years of geologic history in its walls.

12. Glacier, Montana (1,013,126 acres)

Known for the Going-to-the-Sun Road and more than 700 lakes, Glacier sits along the Continental Divide in the northern Rockies.

13. Olympic, Washington (922,651 acres)

Olympic packs three distinct ecosystems into one park: glaciated peaks, temperate rainforest, and a wild Pacific coastline.

14. Big Bend, Texas (801,163 acres)

Where the Rio Grande makes its big bend, Big Bend combines desert, river canyons, and the Chisos Mountains, with some of the darkest night skies in the lower 48.

15. Joshua Tree, California (795,156 acres)

Where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet, Joshua Tree is known for its twisted namesake trees and world-class rock climbing.

Why Does Alaska Dominate This List?

Seven of the ten largest national parks are in Alaska, and those seven account for more than half of all national park acreage in the entire country. Three factors explain it. Alaska was protected late, mostly through the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, when vast tracts of land were still undeveloped and available to set aside at scale. The terrain is so rugged and remote that drawing enormous boundaries was practical in a way it never could be in the lower 48. And the “national park and preserve” model used across Alaska bundles huge preserve areas into each unit’s total. The result is a handful of parks larger than most countries.

The Largest Parks in the Lower 48

If you exclude Alaska, the biggest national parks are Death Valley (about 3.4 million acres), Yellowstone (about 2.2 million), Everglades (about 1.5 million), and Grand Canyon (about 1.2 million). All four are far more accessible than the Alaska giants, which is part of why they rank among the most visited parks in the system.

How These Rankings Are Counted

Acreage figures come from the National Park Service and count the national park portion of each unit. Denali, Katmai, Lake Clark and Glacier Bay also have adjoining national preserves that aren’t counted here. Counted with its preserve, Wrangell–St. Elias covers about 13.2 million acres and Gates of the Arctic about 8.5 million, and the top of the list doesn’t change either way. The figures may shift slightly as boundaries are adjusted.

The Bottom Line

Wrangell–St. Elias is the largest national park in the United States by a wide margin, and Alaska’s parks fill most of the top of the list. For the full ranking of every park and to plan a trip to any of them, see our complete national parks list by state and our guide to all 64 national parks by size. You can browse every park guide and film on the More Than Just Parks explore page.

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