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 total acreage, followed by a complete list of all 63 parks by size. A quick note on method: the rankings here use the combined acreage of each national park and its adjoining preserve, which is how the National Park Service reports the total area it manages. Several of the biggest sites are formally titled “national park and preserve,” and the preserve acreage is included throughout so the comparison stays consistent.
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 | 1,013,572 |
| 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 (13,175,799 acres)
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 (8,472,506 acres)
Entirely above the Arctic Circle, Gates of the Arctic has no roads, no trails, and no campgrounds. It is the least visited national park in the country, with the national park portion alone covering more than 7.5 million acres.
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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 half a million caribou.
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 (1,013,572 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?
Eight of the ten largest national parks are in Alaska, and those eight 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 reflect the total area of each park, including any adjoining national preserve. You will sometimes see slightly different rankings elsewhere because some lists count only the national park portion and exclude the preserve. On a park-only basis, Wrangell–St. Elias is still first at about 8.3 million acres and Gates of the Arctic is second at about 7.5 million, so the top of the list does not change. The figures here are rounded to the nearest acre and 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 63 national parks by size. You can browse every park guide and film on the More Than Just Parks explore page.
